


Liar, Liar

by kitkatdimples



Category: SBFIVE (Band)
Genre: First Love, Lies, Love at First Sight, M/M, Temporary Amnesia, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-12
Updated: 2020-08-12
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:20:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 24,081
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25860475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kitkatdimples/pseuds/kitkatdimples
Summary: When meeting the love of your life makes you do the unthinkable.
Relationships: Copter Panuwat Kerdthongtavee/Kimmon Varodom Khemmonta
Kudos: 3





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> * Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction using characters that are based on Kimmon and Copter (and the rest of SBFIVE), but really has nothing to do with their real selves.

**Part A - Chapter 1**

***

_Date: January 11, 2019_

_***_

When he first opened his eyes, it felt as if a fathomless sea of blackness swallowed him up whole. 

He couldn't see anything. Or, to put it more precisely, he wasn't able to even think about seeing anything. The colossal pounding in his head literally blinded him for a few minutes, dominating over not only his vision but also every single sensory nerve located in his body.

After a lasting moment of agonizing suffering, he finally managed to blink a couple of times and focus his vision on the ceiling above him. It was white. So spotlessly white that it gave him a chilling sense of unfamiliarity.

He blinked again.

Gradually, the pain that had initially overwhelmed him started to subside little by little. Feeling somewhat better, he subsequently moved his body, attempting to sit upright. Yet, to his misfortune, a wave of nausea abruptly washed over him, catching him off guard. On reflex, he closed his eyes shut and lifted his hand to touch his aching forehead.

"Are you okay?"

From afar, he heard a voice that was filled with surprised concern, followed by a series of hurried footsteps. Firm hands then grasped his shoulders, lending support to his wobbly body. Slowly recovering from his dizziness, he managed to open his groggy eyes. Upon seeing the stranger who had thankfully given him a helping hand, though, his mind went completely blank.

_Oh fuck, he's hot._

That was the first thing that came to his recovered mind when his eyes took in the glorious sight ahead of him.

To his defense, though, he really couldn't help himself. Seriously, anyone and everyone would have thought the exact same thing if they were in his shoes at that time. It was akin to saying that the sky is blue and the grass is green. It was just stating the obvious because the man in front of him was unbelievably handsome. _Beautiful. Gorgeous. Hot._ Basically, any synonym for words that described out-of-this-world attractive good looks worked in this situation.

Worry marked on his handsome features, the man interrupted his rather shameless thoughts. "You should lie back down."

"It's fine. I think I'm okay." 

He chanced a quick glimpse at the man, but almost got captured inside his deep obsidian-black eyes. Mentally slapping himself, he cleared his throat and quickly diverted his attention to his surroundings. Given the medical equipment that he spotted around him, he guessed that he was in a hospital room.

"The doctor said that you luckily don't have any major injuries," the man promptly informed him. "But you did hit your head quite hard, so he said that there may be some side effects from that blow."

So that was why it felt like a ginormous boulder had just smashed into his head. He nodded, coming to a partial understanding of his current circumstances.

"You didn't have a cell phone in possession, so I wasn't able to contact anyone for you," the man continued to say. After fishing out a cell phone from his pocket, the man held it out to him. "You can borrow mine."

"Thank you."

At his shy words of gratitude, the man flashed him a friendly smile, which forced him to blush against his will.

_God, that smile on his face should be illegal._

His cheeks slightly flushed, he graciously accepted the man's cell phone. He hovered his fingers over it, intending to press in a phone number, but he stopped dead.

"What's wrong?" the man asked, seeming to have noticed his frozen state.

He bit his lips while blankly staring down at the phone. "I don't remember."

The man nodded in understanding. "Oh, that happens to us all. Especially in this day and age, when our smartphones remember everything for us."

_That's not it,_ he thought to himself in panic. Feeling a knot tightening in his stomach, he finally glanced up to meet the man's amiable eyes.

"No, I mean..." he stuttered, his voice heavy with fright. "I...I don't remember anything. Anything at all."

***

Copter. That was his name. Or part of his name, he hoped.

He didn't remember anything else about himself. How old he was, where he lived, why he happened to be wandering around in this particular area. He remembered nothing.

After thoroughly checking up on him, the doctor had given Copter his medical diagnosis. _Temporary amnesia_ , he had declared with an air of finality. _Not very common with a head injury as minor as yours, but it's possible._

_When will my memories come back?_ Copter had asked back in a trembling voice.

_Can't say for sure_ , the doctor had truthfully confessed. _I did have a similar patient a few years ago, and she got her memories back in about two to three days. So we'll just have to hope that the same happens to you._

Totally devastated, Copter buried his gloomy face into his hands. Although he didn't have any memories about himself, he was pretty certain that this had to be the worst thing that had ever happened to him.

What made it even more horrifying was that when he was brought to the hospital, he didn't carry any possessions that could have identified him. No cell phone, no wallet, no driver's license. _Nothing._ So, until he got his memories back or someone he knew came to find him here, he wouldn't know who he was, other than the part of his name that he wasn't even sure was right.

"Hey, it's okay."

At those soft-spoken words of comfort, Copter slowly lowered his hands. His panicked eyes locked onto the concerned ones in front of him. The still-unbelievably-handsome man, who had continued to stay by his side throughout the medical checkup, gave him a reassuring smile.

"You don't have to worry so much. The doctor said that it's likely that your memories will come back in a couple of days. And I promise that I'll take full responsibility for you until you get your memories back."

"But it's not even your fault," Copter mumbled in a quiet voice.

Although he had no recollection of the incident, Copter was told that he had suddenly ran across the road, dangerously putting himself right in front of the man's moving car. Fortunately, the man had slammed on the brakes just in time and avoided a major head-on collision with Copter. Yet, the minor crash still toppled Copter over to the ground, making him bang his head on the cement and lose his consciousness.

"Of course it's my fault. This wouldn't have happened if it weren't for my car, ergo, I'll take full responsibility for my actions," the man reasoned. "So don't panic, okay?"

Copter fell silent.

He knew that this really wasn't the man's fault. At the same time, though, in this entirely nightmarish situation, he couldn't help but think that the man was his one and only lifeline. Selfish or not, he didn't want to be left by himself, hopelessly lost in a world where he had no fucking clue who he was.

Sensing Copter's discomfort, the man offered a compromise. "Why don't we give it three days and see if your memories come back?"

"And if they don't?"

"Then we'll discuss what to do when we cross that bridge. But, for now, you should just focus on fully recovering. Okay?"

"Okay," Copter eventually gave in, trying to ignore his guilty conscious.

The man immediately let out a blinding smile, which Copter still thought should be made illegal. 

Willing his damn blush to go away, Copter glanced up to meet the man's twinkling black eyes. He wanted to properly thank the man, but realized that he didn't yet know the man's name.

"What's your name?"

"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Kimmon Warodom."

Copter eventually matched the smile on Kimmon's face. "Khun Kimmon, thank you very much."

***


	2. Chapter 2

**Part A - Chapter 2**

_***_

_Date: January 13, 2019_

_***_

Another day had passed by since Copter regained his consciousness after the accident. Another very uneventful day, during which there were still no signs of his memories coming back.

Yet, in stark contrast to his initial panicked reaction, Copter felt quite at ease right now. Of course, it was still very scary that he didn't know who he was. All things considered, though, Copter didn't think that his situation was too overly terrible. Maybe because he turned out to be an optimistic person at heart. Or, fine, likely because he was apparently shallow as fuck.

Admittedly, Kimmon was the sole reason why Copter was feeling relatively satisfied with his current circumstances. Kimmon Warodom. Or P'Kim, as Kimmon had insisted that Copter call him the other day.

_What if I'm older than you?_ Copter had challenged, his eyebrows raised. 

His question had immediately earned him a hearty laugh, which Copter thought should also be made illegal together with Kimmon's bright smiles. 

_I really don't think you'll be_ , Kimmon had said, his eyes brimming with amusement. _But if it turns out that you are, then I'll grant you a wish._

_A wish?_

Kimmon had nodded with a broadening smile. _Anything you want._

_P'Kim, it is,_ Copter had accepted, knowing that he wasn't losing out on anything.

That, indeed, was an extremely accurate description of Copter's current state of affairs. Regardless of whether he was senior or junior to him (or even the same age), as long as Kimmon was existing as a part of Copter's life right now, Copter wasn't losing out at all.

Copter furtively glanced at Kimmon, who was momentarily concentrated on sending a work email though his phone. Shamelessly taking advantage of the situation, Copter stared at the face in front of him, marveling once again at each and every one of those remarkably handsome features. As soon as Kimmon looked up from his phone, though, Copter quickly darted his eyes away, pretending to be very interested in the magazine that he was holding in his hand. 

"Sorry about that," Kimmon apologized.

"Don't be," Copter countered back in an instant. "If you're busy, you could head back to work now." 

"No, I should be free for another hour or so," Kimmon confirmed while putting his phone away. 

Feeling bad, Copter chewed on his lips. Although he loved spending more time with Kimmon, taking up Kimmon's time was making him feel somewhat guilty, epecially when it seemed pretty obvious that Kimmon was running on a tight schedule.

Kimmon had told him earlier that he was currently here at Phuket for a two-week business trip. Although Copter didn't know (or remember) much about the business world, given the incessant work calls/emails that he witnessed Kimmon receive, as well as the very frequent visits from his secretary, Copter knew that Kimmon was going out of his way to make time in his schedule to keep Copter company. Of course, Copter truly appreciated it, but Kimmon's considerate actions were gradually feeding into his growing guilt. 

"I really need to get my memories back tomorrow," Copter declared in a firm tone. 

Looking concerned, Kimmon knitted his eyebrows. "You shouldn't worry too much about it. The doctor said that any stress might worsen your recovery."

"But I can't keep burdening you," Copter said, a hint of shame apparent in his voice. 

"You're not a burden," Kimmon denied right away.

"I am," Copter insisted. 

Judging by the cold look that Kimmon's secretary gave him every time he came by the hospital to fetch Kimmon, Copter was pretty sure that at least one more person agreed with him. Disapproval clearly showing on his face, Kimmon looked like he was going to say something in response, but Copter quickly cut him off. 

"Plus, I would feel bad if I couldn't recognize my family and friends. If they ever show up. Or maybe I don't have any," Copter considered, a sulky pout looming over his face. "Seriously, who comes to Phuket by themselves?!"

"A lot of people go on trips by themselves," Kimmon noted. 

"Without any belongings?! I really don't understand why I didn't have at least a wallet or a phone on me." The color in Copter's face began to drain out when a sudden explanation popped up in his head. "P'Kim, what if I'm some sort of criminal...like...like a serial killer?!"

Kimmon blinked at him, appearing puzzled. "What?"

"Think about it, P'Kim. It all makes sense! I wouldn't have any belongings on me because I wouldn't want to leave any evidence behind that would link me to my crimes. And, of course, Phuket and its herds of rich tourists would be a jackpot for any criminal activity. Right?!"

_Fuck._

The more he thought about it, the more his theory seemed very plausible. On top of that, various scenes of the crime movie that he watched earlier in the day kept replaying in his mind, helping to fuel his wild imagination. Copter jerked his head towards Kimmon, anxious to hear his thoughts on the matter. Kimmon just looked like he was trying his best not to burst out in laughter. 

"Well, if you were a criminal, you'd be quite unstoppable," Kimmon eventually said. 

Baffled by Kimmon's words, Copter crumpled up his face. "What? Why?"

"With a cute face like yours, it'd be really easy to target unsuspecting victims."

_What?!_

At Kimmon's unexpected compliment, coupled with one of his signature illegal smiles, Copter almost died from a heart attack. Feeling heat rapidly rising to his cheeks, Copter willed his sputtering heart to calm the fuck down. If he used Kimmon's reasoning right back on him, Kimmon would definitely be a much more unstoppable criminal than him, especially with that dangerously handsome face and sweet talk.

Copter cleared his throat, hoping that his blush wasn't too obvious. "You should be careful, P'Kim. You could be one of those victims yourself," he joked in order to lighten the atmosphere.

But his poor heart practically leaped out of his chest when Kimmon laughed again. 

"I'll take my chances," Kimmon said, his captivating deep black eyes intently fixed on Copter's trembling ones.

***

_Date: January 14, 2019_

_***_

Quite frankly, it was rather disappointing how Copter got back his memories.

It wasn't anything like those dramatic scenes on television where the amnesiac character bonks his head again or coincidentally discovers an important item that acts as the ultimate trigger, which then leads to all of his memories flooding back into his head, with (of course) climatic music playing in the background.

Nope, unlike any of that, Copter had went to sleep that night, praying that he would please get his memories back the next day. Then, as if a deity miraculously decided to answer his prayers, he woke up in the morning and found that all of his lost memories had returned back to him. 

_Oh_ , he thought to himself after opening his eyes and searching through his newly found memories. _My name is Copter Panuwat. I'm 25 years old, and I'm currently working as a relatively successful novelist. I live in Bangkok, and I made a trip to Phuket in order to take some time off and get some inspiration for my writing._

Indeed, the entire process was very very very anti-climatic and uninteresting. Yet, the real "drama" in this particular moment of Copter's life actually arose from a different (albeit related) point. 

Copter gradually started to freeze up, his heart fiercely galloping at an uncontrollable speed once a shocking realization completely sunk in. A realization that had everything to do with P'Kim.

Kimmon. Kimmon Warodom. The unbelievably handsome man who had sweetly taken care of him over the last few days. That Kimmon Warodom was none other than Kimmon Warodom. _THE KIMMON WARODOM!!!_ The guy who was notorious among all his family and friends to have completely dominated over Copter's life for the past ten years. 

To see that Kimmon was still as fucking beautiful as ever, actually even more so after all those years ( _how was that even possible?!_ ), Copter didn't know whether he should laugh or cry. Or do a hysterical combination of both.

***


	3. Chapter 3

**Part A - Chapter 3**

***

_Date: January 9, 2019_

_***_

After heaving out a weary sigh, Copter downed the rest of the beer in the bottle that he was holding in his hand. To his satisfaction, he gradually felt a familiar buzz beginning to cloud his mind, which helped him forget about his depressed mood.

"You got started without me?!"

At the sudden sound of a grumpy voice, Copter looked up. He couldn't help but chuckle when he saw his friend Bas, who was giving him an upset frown and taking the seat in front of him.

"You were late," Copter justified.

"Because, as usual, my boss was being a fucking asshole," Bas grumbled in exasperation, making Copter giggle.

Eventually smiling along with Copter, Bas promptly waved over a waiter and ordered another couple of beers for the table.

"So what's with the long face?" Bas asked, instantly noticing the remnants of sulkiness on Copter's face.

Copter sighed again. "My new story got shot down."

"What? Why?"

"My editor told me that the male lead is too similar to the ones in my other stories. And that not only is it repetitive but really unrealistic to have someone be so fucking perfect."

A scowl emerged on Copter's face as he recalled his earlier meeting with his editor, April.

_Hall in 'Parallel Lines'._ _Jay in 'Keeping It Fair'. And now Ming in 'A Beautiful Paradox',_ April had started out while tossing Copter's previous novels and current manuscript in front of him, one by one. Likely, Copter suspected, to add an extra dramatic flair to her subsequent speech, given her rather theatrical personality.

_They're all the exact same character! That same ultra perfect Prince Charming who doesn't have a single flaw in him! Even their handsome looks are exactly the same! With those deep captivating black eyes and lean model-like physique! Readers are going to start losing interest in your novels if you keep using the same character over and over again._

_But!!!_ Copter had tried to intervene, but April had cut him off in a flash.

_And, on top of that, your Hall, Jay and Ming are way too perfect. To the point where it's just outright ridiculous! As much as we all love to read about Prince Charmings, yours are too overboard. Seriously, Copter, no one can be that perfect in real life!!!_

"She has a point," Bas agreed after hearing Copter's passionate relaying of the conversation. 

Looking offended, Copter pouted. "No, she doesn't! She's wrong!!! There is someone who's that perfect in real life!!!!!"

Bas groaned when he realized where Copter was going with this. "No, please don't go there again."

Ignoring Bas's plea, Copter continued to voice his thoughts with heated passion. "P'Kim! P'Kim is perfect!!!"

"Seriously, fuck you and your P'Kim disease," Bas mumbled under his breath before taking a swig of his beer.

"But P'Kim really is perfect," Copter insisted, a dreamy expression now surfacing on his face. "You would have thought so too if you ever saw him. You just take one look at him, and BAM!!! You're an instant goner. He just has this blinding aura, almost like burning rays of sun, that makes people swoon over when they're near him. His voice is so unbelievably sweet too. Whenever he talks, it literally feels like honey is oozing into your ears. And my favorite part about him is..."

"His eyes. Those gorgeous black orbs that are so inexplicably deep and make you want to forever drown in them," Bas finished off before letting out a frustrated grunt. "Fucking seriously, I heard this shit way too many times. You should really change it to be past tense though. How do you know if he's still that fucking perfect?"

"I don't," Copter sadly admitted. "And I won't ever know, will I?"

It had been almost ten years since Copter last saw him. Based on the limited information that he was able to collect, it was highly likely that they weren't even living in the same country.

Sadness quickly welling inside of him, Copter chugged the rest of his beer down in one go.

"P'Kim, I hope you're doing well," Copter softly whimpered in between sniffles that were growing louder. "And I hope you're happy where you are. Because...because as long as you're happy, I'm happy too," he finished off dramatically with a deafening sob.

With a frightened gasp, Bas widened his eyes. "Wait, how many bottles did you drink?!"

Unfortunately, that was the very last thing that Copter remembered Bas saying that night.

***

_Date: January 10, 2019_

_***_

Grimacing from his pounding headache, Copter slumped down heavily on the chair. His lifeless eyes sluggishly shifted to Bas, who was sitting next to him and looked as equally miserable as himself.

"Remind me never to have alcohol ever again," Copter groaned in agony, his hands pressed against his aching forehead.

Bas shot him an icy glare. "Remind me never to have alcohol with you ever again."

"Why? What happened?"

"The usual. You glomped every person in front of your eyes, thinking it was your dear P'Kim. And then proceeded to cry your lungs out while confessing your everlasting love to him."

_Ugh._

Copter cringed. He seriously had the worst drunk habit ever. One that, to his misfortune, was the cause of at least a couple breakups with his past lovers.

While Copter and Bas were pretty much failing at trying to revive themselves, Copter's cousin, Tee, finally arrived from the kitchen with two steaming bowls of chicken coconut soup in his hands. Copter immediately brightened up, already starting to feel better from the aromatic wisps of his favorite hangover cure.

"You're a lifesaver, P'Tee!" Copter squealed in delight.

In contrast to Copter's excessive cheerfulness, though, Tee just glowered at him. "And you're a massive pain in my ass."

"Mine too!" Bas chimed in before happily digging into his bowl of soup.

Copter sulkily pouted out his lower lip, although he admittedly understood where they were coming from. Just like the gazillion times before, Tee and Bas probably had to deal with taking care of his drunken self last night, which, they repeatedly emphasized, was an extremely horrifying ordeal that made them want to cut all ties with him.

Avoiding Tee's rebuking eyes, Copter focused his attention on the soup in front of him, quickly bringing a spoonful to his mouth and savoring its delicious warmth.

Done with his intense glaring, Tee eventually let out an exasperated sigh. "Seriously, Cop, when are you going to move on?"

"Move on from what?"

"From your P'Kim fantasy."

Disapproval written on his face, Copter frowned. "It's not a fantasy."

"Yes it is! You say you love him, but, in reality, you never even talked to him before."

"I have!"

"Okay fine, you talked to him once."

"Twice," Copter quickly corrected him.

Tee rolled his eyes. "Okay twice! But they were two conversations that, added together, didn't even last five minutes. That certainly isn't enough time to get to know a person. How do you know if he was actually a jerk?"

"Huh, like a bad boy? That'd be pretty hot too," Copter briefly considered, a smile appearing on his lips. He yelped in pain when Tee smacked his head with a spoon hard. "Ow! That hurt, P'!!!"

"That was the point," Tee promptly informed him.

His eyes still intently fixed on his bowl of soup, Bas gave his two cents about the situation. "P'Tee, you should just give up on him. P'Ter just can't stop himself from being a hopelessly shallow idiot."

While rubbing his hurting head, Copter scowled at Bas, who was now snickering back at him. Tee ran his fingers through his hair, looking rather exhausted.

"Copter," Tee began to say, his voice softened. "I give it to you that most, if not all, of us remember our first loves. And yeah, every once in a while, we think about our first loves and reminisce about our memories with them. But we're nothing like you. We actually move on with our lives, knowing and accepting that our first loves are something from the past. That they're definitely not something that should take over our present and future."

"I moved on too," Copter asserted, but he didn't sound too confident.

"You haven't," Tee rejected in an instant. "You won't get rid of that fantasy of yours. And now it's affecting your writing as well!"

Eyes wide, Copter jerked his head towards Bas. "You told him already?!"

Bas shrugged his shoulders. "I had to explain why you were such a drunken mess yesterday."

As Copter and Bas were bickering among themselves, Tee sighed once more and rummaged through his bag to grab a bunch of papers. 

"Take this," Tee said before handing them over to Copter.

Copter raised his eyebrows. "What is it?"

"I won a free trip to Phuket, but I can't go because of work. So you go on my behalf."

Quite confused by the seemingly random offer, Copter took a moment to read through the printed documents. True to Tee's words, they evidenced a free vacation package to Phuket, including round-trip flight tickets and hotel accommodations for two weeks. 

_Wow, what a sweet deal!_ Copter thought to himself in awed amusement. His eyes popped out, though, when he saw the dates of travel.

"Wait, it's for tomorrow?!" 

Tee brushed off Copter's surprise. "It's not like you have anything better to do." 

"Point taken," Copter easily acknowledged.

Tee proceeded to explain his reasoning. "You've been cooped up in your room for the past several months trying to write your new story. I think it's time for you to get some fresh air and let your brain recuperate. And who knows? Maybe you'll be able to get some inspiration while you're at Phuket."

"Yeah, there's got to be a lot of hot hunks who visit Phuket," Bas added in. "People who are much hotter than your dear P'Kim."

"Not possible," Copter denied without a second thought.

"Damn it, Cop, you really need to drop that attitude!" Tee growled, frustration evident in his voice. "It's like you're not even trying to move on. It's been almost ten years. Ten fucking years! Do you plan to live the rest of your life by yourself, just forever fantasizing over your P'Kim?!"

"No," Copter admitted after a moment of silence, feeling disheartened. "Of course not."

"Then go on this trip," Tee ordered in an unyielding tone. "Use it as a turning point in your life. For your writing and especially for your future love experiences. It's really time to move on now." 

Lost in thought, Copter stared at the papers in his hand. 

_A turning point in my life, huh?_

He honestly wasn't sure if this spontaneous trip to Phuket would help him with his damn problem, but he knew that it wouldn't hurt to try.

***


	4. Chapter 4

**Part A - Chapter 4**

***

_Date: January 11, 2019_

***

Given how very unplanned this trip was, Copter was quite pleased to find that everything actually proceeded along rather smoothly. As a matter of fact, right now, he was currently seated on a plane to Phuket, with about an hour left before arriving at his final destination.

Honestly, though, all Copter really needed to do to prepare for this trip was pack his luggage for a two weeks stay, which mainly consisted of brand new clothes that he ended up buying as a result of Bas dragging him off on a wild shopping spree.

_Damn it, Bas! I'm not going to some fashion show!!!_ Copter had complained to an overexcited Bas, who blatantly ignored Copter's heated protests.

_You need to increase your sexual appeal if you want to have an active love life!!!_ Bas had reasoned rather shamelessly.

Copter chuckled to himself, entertained by the fact that Tee and Bas seemed to be way more worried about his love life than anyone else. Even more than himself, who had almost given up at this point. 

Unlike what Tee seemed to think, it wasn't as if Copter didn't try to move on with his life. He did. He actively tried to date several people ever since, a few men and a few women. But they all ended up quite nasty, with everyone dumping him for the exact same reason. _You don't love me, Copter,_ they all had informed him with exhausted faces. _You're in love with someone else._

Sighing, Copter rested his head back on the seat, feeling his spirits sink as he thought about the sole cause of his failed love life. Kimmon Warodom. His handsome first love. Who was probably the first love of almost everyone in his high school. Literally, everyone loved him given how unbelievably perfect he was. Charming looks, friendly personality, great sense of humor, top grades, stellar athletic ability. Seriously, who could resist such an ultra perfect Prince Charming? Copter certainly couldn't.

He recalled the first time that he ever met Kimmon, that fateful moment when he fell in love with him.

Before that particular point in his life, Copter didn't really believe in love at first sight. In fact, he thought that it was the most ridiculous concoction ever and had scoffed every time it was used as a plot device in the dramas that his sisters obsessed over.

_Y_ _ou don't have a single speck of romance in you_ , his sisters had accused him with scorn.

_But it's stupid! If you fall in love at first sight, that just means you're shallow. Not that you're in love. How in the world do you fall in love with someone who you don't even know?!_ Copter had always countered back.

Unfortunately, he hadn't known at the time that he would turn out to be one of those ridiculously shallow fools.

Right on his third day of starting high school, a young Copter had been leisurely strolling through one of the school corridors, deeply immersed in reading the book that he was holding in his hands. That is, until a random soccer ball abruptly flew straight at him and knocked him off his feet. 

_Who the fuck plays soccer inside the school building?!_ Annoyed to no end, Copter had been more than ready to give a piece of his mind to the perpetrator.

His angry thoughts had been cut short, though, when a honeyed voice unexpectedly entered into his ears. 

_Hey, are you okay?_

When he had looked up to see the owner of that sweet voice, time completely stilled for what felt like a lasting eternity. Every ounce of breath was taken from his lungs, and he was incapable of doing anything other than helplessly stare into the eyes ahead of him. Those unfathomable obsidian-black eyes that had trapped him right in place and had stolen his heart away in an instant.

_Guys, I told you that it's dangerous to play inside the building!_

_Sorry, Nong! Are you okay?!_

_Are you hurt? Can you stand up?_

Although he could vaguely hear a flurry of voices around him, nothing had registered inside his head at that moment. That is, nothing other than the person who was kneeling right in front of him and making him feel like a dysfunctional idiot. When firm hands gently touched his shoulders to help him get back on his feet, waves of electricity had violently surged through his entire body, almost inducing a deadly heart attack.

Copter didn't exactly remember what happened after that. He was pretty sure that he had croaked out something that sounded like a frantic ' _I'm okay!_ ' before fleeing from the scene, not at all caring about getting strange looks because he had been way too shocked. Too overwhelmed by the fact that he had just fallen in love with someone who he met for the first time.

After that powerful first encounter, Copter had spent a few initial weeks in desperate self-denial until he finally realized that there was no way to undo what had happened to him. 

What followed in his life was an infinite period of miserable pining.

Copter hadn't dared to ever directly approach Kimmon. Although he regretted not doing so now, to his defense, he had been a sensitive teenager back then, who didn't have a clue how to handle his overflowing feelings and who definitely wasn't ready to come out of the closet. Especially not to the school's popular Prince Charming who didn't seem at all interested in guys, given his rumored history of dating beautiful girlfriends.

So the second (and last) time that he ever talked to Kimmon was at Kimmon's farewell party. Devastated by the fact that Kimmon was going to study abroad after graduating high school, Copter had mustered up all his courage to step up to Kimmon on that day. Yet, like the timid fool that he was, he had only awkwardly wished Kimmon good luck and happiness in his future before speeding off. Or, to be more precise, trying to speed off but face-planting on the ground, and then running away.

Cringing from his embarrassing memory, Copter banged his head several times against the window next to him, ignoring the weird looks that the other passengers were giving him. _Talk about a stupid last impression._ Not that it really mattered. He would be the only one who would remember that moment, being a pathetic moron who stored even such shameful memories preciously in his heart as long as they related to Kimmon, even up until now.

Copter sighed again. He was painfully aware that he was acting abnormally, but he really couldn't help himself. Maybe it was regret that was holding him back, the regret of not being able to openly pour out all his feelings for Kimmon at that time. If he had known that he would still be chained to his first love like this, he would have definitely confessed his love to Kimmon back then. At least the foreseen rejection might have snapped him out of his never-ending "fantasy".

The flight attendant's announcement that the plane was landing brought him back to his reality. Straightening his seat all the way up, Copter took a moment to reconfirm his resolve. In line with Tee's earlier words to him, he needed to try to make this trip into a turning point in his life. Despite all his previous failures, he couldn't give up on himself just yet. He had to keep trying if he really didn't want to spend the rest of his life alone.

_Remember, Copter, this is your turning point. Not only are you going to come up with a brand new story, but, most importantly, you're also going to forget about P'Kim. You're really going to move on,_ Copter kept telling himself as he made his way out of the plane. _And, if you're lucky enough, maybe you'll be able to meet the true love of your life here._

***

_Turning point, my ass!!!_

Utterly frustrated by all means, Copter ran his hand across his face while speaking to the representative on the phone.

"Yes, someone just stole my wallet, which had my credit card in it. Could you please cancel my card right now?"

After ending the conversation with his credit card issuer, Copter blankly stared at his cell phone, trying to figure out what to do next. _Fuck my life_ , he couldn't help but think as he recalled what had happened to him within the past hour.

His excitement about Phuket instantly plummeted as soon as he stepped out of the airport bus. Out of all the things that could have happened to him, a thief suddenly snatched his backpack out of his hands and sped away before Copter could react. Although Copter had immediately run after him, he was unable to catch the thief, who should have seriously considered being a professional runner given his incredible speed, instead of being a heartless robber who targeted innocent tourists like himself.

If that wasn't enough hardship in his life, when Copter returned back to his original spot, he discovered that his luggage bag had disappeared as well. _Seriously?!_ Copter had screamed out loud when it dawned on him that he had just been completely robbed of all his possessions. Everything, except for the cell phone that he was holding in his hand.

_How the fuck does this even happen?!_

After taking a while to endlessly curse at his bad luck, Copter tried to calm himself down and somewhat alleviate his terrible situation. Sitting down on a nearby bench, he first cancelled his credit card while attempting to forget about the stash of cash that he stored in his wallet this morning, all his precious money that was also now in the hands of that thief. _Seriously, fuck that good-for-nothing criminal!!!_

_Okay, so now what? Do I report this to the police?!_

Not knowing what his next best course of action should be, Copter eventually decided to call Tee and get some much needed advice on his unfortunate circumstances. Yet, right when he was about to do so, a familiar face abruptly caught his eye. It was someone who looked exactly like the asshole who had just stolen his backpack. Judging by the way the man visibly flinched when their eyes met, Copter was 100% sure that his assumption was right.

"You fucking bastard!!!"

Immediately springing up, Copter dashed after the man, who had started to run off at lightning speed again. _Fuck, he was fast._ But even though the thief was sprinting like he was in the Olympics, Copter was very notorious among his circle of family and friends for his annoyingly relentless persistence. Basically, it meant that he was going to catch this asshole even if it was the very last thing that he ever did in his life.

_I come to Phuket in the hopes of filming my own romantic comedy, but you force me into this freaking action thriller?! You. Are. Dead. Meat!!!_

Neglecting his severe lack of breath, Copter continued to viciously hunt the man, who was now trying to escape to the other side of the street. _Oh no you don't!!!_ Without a second thought, Copter followed right after him, not at all aware that he was dangerously putting himself right in the path of a moving car.

All of a sudden, Copter heard frenzied honking and a piercing screech of tires. Then he immediately felt something painfully crash into him, making him fall completely backwards.

_Seriously, fuck my life,_ he grumpily thought to himself again before everything blacked out. 

***


	5. Chapter 5

**Part A - Chapter 5**

***

_Date: January 14, 2019_

***

While rolling around on the bed like a mad lunatic, Copter couldn't stop himself from squealing out loud. 

_Oh my god! He's P'Kim! P'KIM!!! HOW THE FUCK DOES THIS EVEN HAPPEN?!_

In the midst of all his frenzied excitement, he took a brief moment to sincerely apologize to all the deities in this universe (and, heck, even to the assholes who stole all of his possessions) for his profane cursing a few days ago. He had no freaking clue that all his ridiculous bad luck actually turned out to be the stepping stones to what ended up being the luckiest moment in his entire life. But, to his defense, how the fuck was he supposed to know?! Seriously, what were the chances of randomly running into Kimmon right here and right under these particular circumstances?! 

_We must be destiny_ , Copter dreamily thought to himself before bursting out into another fit of giggly squeals.

Okay, so he admittedly knew that he was acting extremely silly (to the point where he was glad that he was alone right now) but he really couldn't help himself. How could he?! When he just met his lifelong first love?! The one person who he couldn't forget?! The one person who he couldn't stop loving?! The one person who he couldn't move on from for the past ten years of his life?! 

What was (rather pathetically) hilarious in this whole situation was that, regardless of having no memories of him, Copter had already been falling in love with Kimmon over the past several days. AGAIN! Which was, in retrospect, understandable because, even after all those years, Kimmon still proved to be the definition of perfection. So much in fact that Copter realized that the characters in his novels really didn't do justice to Kimmon's actual self.

Copter let out an amused chuckle when he recalled his earlier conversation with Tee, who had brought up the possibility of Kimmon being a jerk. 

_You're totally wrong, P'Tee!_

A satisfied smirk formed on his lips as he excitedly thought about all the things that he would relay back to Tee. About how Kimmon was so far from being a jerk. About how Kimmon turned out to be the sweetest person that he had ever met in his life. About how, this time around, he had actually gotten to talk to Kimmon for way more than five minutes!

_Wait._ Copter paused for a brief second when that sudden realization hit him. _I actually got to talk to P'Kim. And...and he's probably going to come back here to talk to me again. Fuck! HE'S GOING TO COME BACK HERE TO SEE ME!!!_

With those panicky thoughts flying across his head, Copter immediately rushed to the bathroom in order to get a good look of himself in the mirror. He gasped.

_Don't tell me that I looked like that for the past few days?!_

An expression of sheer horror enveloped his face as he steadily processed all his current features. Disheveled hair, dry skin, swollen eyes, chapped lips... _goddamn it!_

Copter mentally cursed himself while he rigorously washed his face with cold water and tried his best to style his hair. He groaned in frustration when his hair refused to obey and remained stubbornly in place. _Shit, why the hell is there no hair gel here?!_

After spending several minutes trying to make himself more presentable, Copter next glanced down at the hospital gown that he was wearing. It was super baggy and by no means stylish in any regard. _Shit, why the hell are these clothes so hideous?!?!_

Completely disregarding the fact that he was a patient in a hospital, Copter emitted a very distressed sigh as he stepped out of the bathroom. Not at all satisfied with his appearance right now, he was considering whether he should make a quick run to a nearby clothing store when an abrupt voice snapped him out of his sulky thoughts.

"Good morning Copter."

_Oh my god._

On instinct, Copter turned his head towards the honeyed voice. His shocked eyes almost popped out when they took in the sight of Kimmon, who was standing right in front of him with one of his signature illegal smiles on his handsome face. Copter's mind went blank.

"P'Kim," Copter barely breathed out, before his legs suddenly gave out and made him collapse on the floor.

Eyes wide, Kimmon instantly walked over to him. "Are you okay?" he asked, kneeling down to meet Copter's eye level.

Yet, Copter couldn't say anything back in response for quite a while because it was déjà vu all over again.

_Are you okay?_

Those three words immediately dragged Copter back to the very first memory that he had of Kimmon. That precious moment when everything in Copter's world had come to an absolute stop, except for Kimmon. _P'Kim._ Who had stared right back at him with those beautiful black eyes and had taken all his breath away in an instant. _Just like now._

"Copter?"

At Kimmon's worried call of his name, Copter finally came back to his senses. 

_Get a fucking grip, Copter! You can't start acting like a dysfunctional idiot again!!!_

Resisting an urge to slap himself, Copter let out an awkward smile while he tried to figure out what to say.

"I'm...I'm okay!" Copter stammered out. "Uhhh, I think my legs just fell asleep. Haha, you know, I haven't been getting enough exercise these days because I've been stuck in the hospital...so...so I guess the blood circulation in my legs hasn't been working properly..."

_What the fuck am I saying?! And why am I stuttering like crazy?!?!_

Unaware of Copter's mental breakdown, Kimmon just looked concerned. "Can you stand?"

Before Copter could register what was going on, Kimmon gently held Copter's shoulders and helped him stand up, which made Copter's poor heart race at a frightening speed with no end in sight. As if that weren't enough near-death experiences for the day, Kimmon then slowly led him back to the bed, with their bodies closely pressed against each other, which made Copter literally forget how to breathe.

_God, I...I don't think I'm going to make it out alive._

Not wanting to die just yet, though, Copter attempted to calm himself down. It was very difficult when the trigger for all his overwhelming emotions was sitting right in front of his eyes.

"Copter, are you really okay?" Kimmon eventually asked after a short moment of silence. "You look troubled. Is there something wrong?"

"Umm...P'...P'Kim," Copter sputtered while he worked his mind frantically to determine what to say next.

But he honestly was at a complete loss for what to do. He couldn't just confess all his pent-up feelings for Kimmon right now. That would be downright creepy and would definitely put Kimmon off. He really didn't want that to happen.

_Should I pretend that I don't know him? Yeah, he doesn't have to know that we're from the same high school. And maybe I could just offer to buy him dinner or something to thank him for his care over the past few days...but then what? Would that be it? We just eat a meal together and then go on with our lives? Without seeing each other again?!_

Kimmon cut through Copter's anxious brainstorming. "Is it because your memories haven't come back yet?" he guessed.

Copter blinked in confusion, not fully catching what Kimmon just said. "Huh?"

Kimmon gave him a reassuring smile. "Copter, it's okay. I know it's been three days already, but it doesn't matter. I promise that I'll take full responsibility for you until you get your memories back, no matter how long that takes."

_What?_ Kimmon's sweet offer left Copter momentarily speechless. _What did he just say?!_

At that exact moment, though, the doctor politely knocked on the door and stepped inside the room in order to proceed with his scheduled checkup for Copter.

"Hi Copter," the doctor greeted him with a friendly smile. "How are you feeling?"

"Okay," Copter unconsciously replied, his mind still occupied with Kimmon's earlier words.

"And what about your memories? Were you able to remember anything else?"

Hesitation evident on his face, Copter's uncertain eyes fell upon Kimmon, who was looking right back at him. Locking his gaze on Copter, Kimmon smiled and reached out to hold Copter's hand in his own. Yet, although it was likely meant to be a considerate action to comfort Copter, it actually ended up having the opposite effect. The electrifying warmth in his hand completely tore Copter apart and silenced his remaining conscience.

"No, I still don't remember anything," Copter croaked out in a barely audible whisper.

He subsequently shut his eyes, allowing the resulting guilt to gradually eat him up whole. When he felt Kimmon gently squeeze his hand in support, though, waves of trembling happiness flooded over him, drowning him senseless for what seemed like an eternity.

Given all those years of being trapped inside a Kimmon-induced heartache, it surely didn't hurt to prolong this miracle for just a few more days? And even if it did, even if this lie would damn the rest of his entire life, Copter really didn't care at this point. Not when Kimmon, his one and only first love, _his P'Kim_ , was finally right here and existing right in front of him.

_I'm so sorry, P'Kim. But let me indulge in this miracle for just a little longer._

***


	6. Chapter 6

**Part A - Chapter 6**

***

_Date: January 15, 2019_

***

"What's wrong?"

Chewing on his lips, Copter took a brief moment to observe his current surroundings: a lavish over-sized one-bedroom suite with a spectacular interior scheme rich in glittering golden accents.

The (almost insanely) opulent suite boasted a master bedroom featuring a king-sized bed, an en suite Carrara marble bathroom with a whirlpool bath and separate walk-in shower, a fully-equipped colossal kitchen and a spacious living room furnished with sumptuous modern sofas. If that wasn't enough decadence for the occupant, the ultimate highlight of the suite proved to be its expansive outdoor terrace that supplied a glistening swimming pool and relaxing Jacuzzi, complemented with a breathtaking view of the ocean.

_Seriously...what the heck?!_

Although he didn't think that Kimmon was anything even remotely near dirt-poor, Copter had no freaking idea that Kimmon would turn out to be an executive director of a world-renowned luxury resort chain, who could easily offer Copter one of the most expensive suites in his ultra-extravagant resort in Phuket. And, in fact, who did just now, much to Copter's shock.

His troubled eyes next landed on the countless number of bags that were neatly arranged on the floor beside him, all of which contained an infinite variety of clothes and accessories that Kimmon had insisted on purchasing for him earlier that day.

_I don't need this_ , Copter had frantically repeated again and again to Kimmon, who had just put on his signature smile and literally tried to buy the entire inventory at each of the designer brand stores that they visited.

Kimmon asked him what's wrong.

_What's wrong?!_

Okay, to be fair, there wasn't really anything wrong with Kimmon's actions per se. The actual problem laid in the original cause of those actions, which was Kimmon's promise to take care of Copter. An amnesiac Copter. But that Copter wasn't actually suffering from amnesia and had outright lied about his present condition to Kimmon.

Therefore, given these circumstances, each and every one of Kimmon's sweet deeds for him were undoubtedly firing up Copter's guilt and killing him inside.

Swallowing back a distressed sigh, Copter mustered up the courage to meet Kimmon's eyes. To his misfortune, they were intensely staring right back at him and giving him another mini-heart attack.

"P'Kim, I can't stay here," Copter eventually managed to say.

"Why not?" Kimmon asked, looking immediately concerned. "Do you not like your room?"

"No, that not's it! It's just...too much. Way too much," Copter emphasized, avoiding Kimmon's attentive gaze. "I don't have to stay at a suite. Or, actually, I don't have to stay at this resort. You know, I can just get a tent or something and camp somewhere outside."

Kimmon promptly chuckled at that, making Copter glance back at him in surprise.

"I'm not going to let you camp outside in a tent," Kimmon rejected in an instant, his voice laden with amusement.

"But I can't stay here. I...I feel bad."

"Why do you feel bad?"

At Kimmon's question, Copter fell completely silent.

A wild debate raged inside his head. 

_Now's your chance! Spill out the truth!_ his angelic subconscious furiously demanded of him.

His demonic subconscious scoffed. _What are you going to say? That you lied because you had a crush on P'Kim since high school? That just stinks of creepiness._

His angelic subconscious sharply fought back. _Then when are you going to confess everything? Don't tell me that you're planning to keep up this ridiculous act forever?!_

Before Copter could shush his conflicting inner voices and make up his damn mind, though, Kimmon broke the silence.

"Then why don't you do me a favor while staying here?" Kimmon abruptly requested.

"A favor?" Copter echoed back.

"We're trying to renovate this resort for the better, and it'd be very helpful to get an objective review of your experience here."

"So you want me to review this place?"

Kimmon nodded. "And be honest. Any criticism would be much appreciated."

"Okay," Copter ended up agreeing after a few seconds of hesitation.

Even though he likely wouldn't be able to provide any helpful criticism, given that he was biased as fuck for the resort's handsome executive director. But at least it was better than nothing.

***

Slumped down on one of the sofas, Copter wearily leaned his head back. 

He closed his eyes, feeling entirely burnt out from mental exhaustion. Although he had tried to distract himself by turning on the TV, his seething guilt kept swarming across his distressed mind and grabbing all his attention. 

Seriously, what the hell was he doing right now?!

He knew that lying was plain stupid. Not to mention, horrendously dangerous. Flashes of scenes from the various dramas that he had seen popped here and there in his head. They consisted of those epic plots where the protagonist foolishly lied about something and ended up creating heartbreaking chaos for everyone involved.

_Huh, but don't some of those stories still finish off with happy endings?_ Wait, no, that wasn't the fucking point! The important main takeaway from this panicky thought process was that he really needed to scrap this whole lying scheme before he permanently trapped himself inside a hellish rabbit hole.

_Just until the end of P'Kim's business trip,_ his shameless heart desperately begged. _Just for the next week and a half, until P'Kim is done with his business in Phuket!_

_Bullshit_ , his sensible brain brushed off. In spite of whatever silly reasoning his heart attempted to come up with, any further prolonging of this act would clearly be immoral and reckless.

Yet, unfortunately, there happened to be another glaring problem that prevented Copter's logical brain from carrying out righteousness. Even if he determined to confess the truth to Kimmon, or at least relay the fact that he got his memories back, every freaking time that he met those unfathomable obsidian eyes, nothing came out of his mouth. Without fail, Copter always froze up under Kimmon's gaze, finding that he was incapable of doing anything other than gape back at the senior like the lovesick idiot that he was.

Utterly frustrated with himself, Copter groaned out loud, fisted his hair and violently banged his head back on the sofa head numerous times. 

_Seriously, Copter Panuwat, stop being stupid and get a fucking grip!!!_

"Khun Copter?"

At the sudden voice, Copter's eyes shot open. With his jaw slightly dropped, Kimmon's secretary, Tao, was looking at him, appearing very alarmed. An awkward silence settled upon them as they proceeded to engage in a meaningless staring contest.

_Oh shit!_

Judging by the subtle disapproval on the secretary's face whenever he was around him, Copter was already aware that Tao didn't harbor any positive feelings towards him. It was understandable, given that Copter's presence seemed to have been snatching away Kimmon's time and consequently adding on to Tao's workload.

Once he finally got over his stupid self, Copter was absolutely going to drop this lying scheme and directly tell Kimmon everything (or most of everything). He couldn't have anyone else beat him to it and uncover his lie before he got a chance to redeem himself. So, if at all possible, Copter didn't want to do anything that would augment Tao's disfavor towards him. Out of everyone near him right now, Tao proved to be the most likely candidate to suspect him and unearth the truth (which was completely based on Copter's only source of reference ( _i.e.,_ dramas) where the character who had hostility towards the lying protagonist always ended up exposing the lie).

"My apologies for the intrusion," Tao eventually brought up, still looking a little disturbed. "I rang the doorbell several times, but hearing no answer, I thought that you might have left the room. I was just planning to drop off some food for you."

Copter's mind frantically churned to come up with an excuse for his absurd behavior. "Khun Tao, thank you for bringing me food. You really didn't have to, and I'm sorry for any inconvenience," he started off. "And I'm also sorry for not hearing you ring the doorbell. I was...um...just watching a movie and it was really interesting..."

Copter trailed off, his face paling when he turned his eyes to the screen and realized what was playing. 

_Fuck, i_ _s that The Notebook_?!?!

Quite frankly, Copter bawled like a baby when he saw the tear-jerking chick flick the first time around. Generally speaking, though, it wasn't really a movie that most men would openly admit to watching out of their own free will and actually liking. He couldn't imagine Tao to be the type of person who would be a rare exception to that generality.

"I see," Tao said stiffly, his face slightly scrunching up when he glanced at the passionate kiss scene showing on the screen. 

_Damn it!_ In line with Copter's predictions, Tao looked like he couldn't relate at all.

Without a second thought, Copter immediately switched his approach. Even though Tao appeared largely distant from worldly involvements, with those rather charming looks, he must have had some sort of experience with love. _Right?!_

"I don't know why watching that movie is affecting me so much. Maybe the first love aspect of the plot is triggering something in my memories," Copter mumbled sheepishly, feigning shy embarrassment. "Khun Tao, do you remember your first love?"

To Copter's growing anxiety, though, Tao didn't answer for a while. Right when his silence was lasting way too long and making Copter think that he just worsened the situation, Tao rubbed the back of his neck and hesitantly opened his mouth. _And he was blushing?!_

"I do. Of course I do," Tao whispered, his voice soft. "I'm...I'm actually dating her right now."

_Bingo!_

***

"You two seem to be getting along very well."

"P'Kim?!"

Copter almost bolted up from his seat at the unexpected sight of Kimmon, who was standing a few steps away with an alluring smile on his lips. 

_When did P'Kim get here?!_

To Copter's pleasant surprise and relief, Tao had warmed up to Copter once they started talking about Tao's first love/current girlfriend. So, after convincing Tao to have lunch with him at one of the cafés in the resort, Copter had been eagerly helping Tao brainstorm the perfect proposal. Overwhelmed by his excitement, he didn't notice that Kimmon had approached them just now.

"Sorry to interrupt but, P'Tao, could you please send me the slides for tomorrow's presentation?" Kimmon asked after taking a seat at their table.

"Of course," Tao confirmed before standing up.

"You can send them to me after you're finished eating," Kimmon clarified, looking apologetic.

"I'm finished. I actually have a meeting with our marketing team in about fifteen minutes, so it'd be best if I head off now," Tao explained.

"Thank you for having lunch with me, Khun Tao," Copter said. "Sorry if I took too much of your time."

"Not at all," Tao denied with a gentle smile aimed at Copter. "It was my pleasure."

Copter beamed back, feeling very delighted that he had finally gotten closer to Tao. After watching Tao's retreating figure, he instinctively shifted his eyes to Kimmon, who happened to be intently staring right back at him. Copter inwardly flinched, his bright smile faltering due to the wild spluttering of his heart.

"What were you up to today?" Kimmon inquired, his deep gaze still fixed on Copter.

Copter tried his best to look calm and collected. "I was watching a movie."

"Another crime thriller?"

"No, it was romance this time."

"Romance?" Kimmon repeated before letting out an amused chuckle. "I must say, that genre does suit you better."

"Huh?"

"Remember your theory about being a serial killer? In my view, it's much more plausible that you were an expert in winning hearts over," Kimmon opined, his tone playful. "Just like now. I haven't seen P'Tao open up to someone this quickly before."

Copter gave out an awkward laugh, not knowing what to say. He also had no idea that Tao would open up to him like this and felt incredibly fortunate to be in Tao's favor now. If only this good luck would continue and give him a chance to win Kimmon's heart over?! In the romantic kind of way?!

Biting back a squeal, Copter quickly looked down at his lap to hide the blush that was spreading across his face. 

_Fuck, Copter, now's not the time to daydream!!!_

"Copter."

Upon hearing Kimmon's call of his name, Copter readily lifted his head back up. 

_Huh?_

He blinked in confusion when he spotted an unreadable expression on Kimmon's face, one in which his eyes were marginally narrowed and his lips were pressed flat. Yet, before Copter could assess Kimmon's mood, Kimmon subsequently shot him a heart-stopping smile, forcing all of Copter's thoughts to fly out of his head. 

"Any plans for the rest of the day?"

"Not really."

"Then may I take you out to dinner later this evening?"

_As if he even had to ask._

Resisting an urge to bounce up and down in happiness, Copter nodded right away with a shy smile, his dimpled cheeks flushed.

***


	7. Chapter 7

**Part A - Chapter 7**

***

_Date: January 17, 2019_

***

Cursing quietly under his breath, Copter anxiously stared at the elevator level indicator, wishing that the elevator would speed the fuck up already. He really couldn't afford to waste another second right now, but it seemed that the world refused to cooperate with his pressing timeline. After what felt like forever, the doors of the elevator finally opened to the lobby, and he sprung out in a flash. 

His eyes searched for and instantly landed on Kimmon, who was standing near the entrance of the resort, in line with what he had told Copter about half an hour ago. Copter hurriedly sprinted his way over, his mind churning to come up with an appropriate excuse for his lateness.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, P'!" Copter quickly apologized as soon as Kimmon was within talking distance. "I..." 

His voice faded away into stunned silence when he actually got a chance to digest Kimmon's appearance. 

In contrast to the formal business attire that he always wore, Kimmon was presently dressed in a casual yet elegant style, a button-down indigo shirt accompanied with white loose-fit shorts. The outfit not only accentuated his already handsome looks, but also added a flair of youthful playfulness that made the man appear even more enticing to the eyes. 

_Seriously, how could there be that much perfection in one place?!_

"No worries, I didn't wait long," Kimmon reassured him while he put on his sunglasses. "Shall we go?"

After managing to nod back, Copter silently followed Kimmon's footsteps, feeling even more self-conscious than he usually was around Kimmon. Not to say that he wasn't proud of himself and his own charming looks. In fact, Copter was (rather smugly) aware of his ability to turn many heads his way. Plus, he had spent several hours this morning making sure that his appearance was absolutely top-notch, which was actually the reason for his tardiness. Yet, he couldn't help but lose a little bit of his confidence when he was up against the epitome of perfection.

"After you."

Copter jerked his chin up at Kimmon's words, snapping back to his reality in which Kimmon was courteously opening the door of a limousine for him. The door of a freaking limousine. 

_What the hell?!_

Eyes wide, Copter stupidly gaped at the unnecessarily luxurious vehicle before glancing back at Kimmon in confusion. Wearing a serene smile, Kimmon just gestured for Copter to step into the car. 

_Okay, this is WAY more extravagant than I expected._

Hesitantly, Copter entered inside the limousine. While taking a seat, he tried his best not to look too overwhelmed by all the excessively fancy amenities in the interior. He utterly failed when his eyes discovered the fully stocked bar with crystal stemware that was situated right below the large plasma screen TV. 

"Do you want a drink?" Kimmon asked, seeming to have noticed Copter's outright staring. 

"No, it's okay," Copter rejected with a stiff smile. Gathering his thoughts, he paused momentarily before saying his next words. "P'Kim, are you sure that I'm the right person to do this?"

"What do you mean?"

"You said that this is a test trial for the resort's new recreational package for couples."

"Yes."

"And you really want me to test it? With you?"

Kimmon tilted his head sideways. "Why? You don't think we'd make a good couple?"

Copter's heart stuttered a few beats. Meeting Kimmon's playful gaze, Copter swallowed back the _fuck-no-if-it-were-up-to-me-we-would-already-be-married!_ that threatened to escape from his lips. Now was definitely not the time to scare his beloved Kimmon away with his obsessive feelings. 

Copter let out an awkward laugh. "No, I just don't know how helpful my perspective would be."

"Why do you say that?"

"Well, I would have thought that the resort would attract a higher percentage of heterosexual couples. You know, and maybe you would have wanted a woman's perspective." 

Kimmon's expression turned serious. "Our resort doesn't target a particular gender or sexual orientation." 

Copter blinked, a little taken aback by Kimmon's sudden seriousness. 

"And," Kimmon continued to say, his lips slowly curving back up into a sweet smile. "Personally, I'm much more interested in learning about your perspective. So please relax and enjoy this package with me. Okay?"

"Okay," Copter shyly mumbled back, his flustered mind drawing a blank on what else to say.

Seriously, how the hell was he supposed to respond back to that?! Plus, it didn't help that his brain kept skewing Kimmon's words and replaying what his lovesick heart wanted to hear. 

_P'Kim is interested in me?! Personally?! Much more interested in me?!?!_

While attempting to calm down his squawking heart, Copter shoved his guilty conscience to the back of his mind, justifying to himself that he had tried to get out of this. Really, he had given it his very best shot, even coming up with reasons for why he might not be an ideal partner for reviewing this package, but it appeared that Kimmon genuinely wanted his help. So, given everything that the senior had provided him thus far, how could he possibly turn down Kimmon's request and reject an opportunity to repay Kimmon for his utmost generosity?! 

Yes, indeed, Copter had been raised up to be a fine, well-mannered gentleman and definitely couldn't allow himself to be an ungrateful asshole. So he would gladly assist Kimmon in any way that he can, even if it meant that he would have to review a new recreational package for couples with Kimmon. Especially if it meant that he'd be spending the entirety of today on a romantic date with Kimmon! 

_Oh my god, I'm really going on a date with P'Kim. A ROMANTIC date with P'Kim! FUCK YEAH!!!_

All of his earlier guilt completely washed away by his gushing excitement, Copter resisted an urge to break out into a victory dance.

***

Sheer awe overtook him as he stood on the deck of the private yacht and took a moment to admire the majestic view ahead of him. Stark, jagged limestone cliffs leaped out of the clear jewel-blue waters, which were flickering like glitter under the warm sunlight. The glistening waves gently rippled around them, gracefully swaying along with the cool breeze that brushed against his skin. 

"Do you like the view?" 

At the sound of Kimmon's voice, Copter turned his head to the side. His breath momentarily caught in his throat as he gaped at Kimmon, who was standing right next to him in all his handsome glory. On instinct, Copter's eyes slipped lower to the lightly tanned, toned chest that kept revealing itself more and more as the wind swept past them. 

Yeah, he definitely liked the view. 

Inwardly gulping, Copter forced his shameless eyes away from Kimmon and returned his gaze back to the surrounding scenery. "Yes, it's beautiful." 

"I agree," Copter heard Kimmon softly murmur in his honeyed voice, which automatically made his heart flutter like crazy.

_How could his voice sound so damn sweet and sexy at the same time?!_

In order to divert his thoughts to something other than how freaking hot Kimmon was, Copter tried focusing his attention on the main goal of this lovely excursion. He was supposed to be reviewing each part of the recreational package, right?! Eager to help Kimmon out, Copter began to provide more on his impression of their current yacht trip. 

"Really, it's the best view that I've ever seen!" Copter exclaimed enthusiastically. 

"Best view that you've ever seen?" Kimmon echoed back.

"Yup! Much more beautiful than..."

_Wait fuck!_

Copter abruptly slammed his mouth shut, catching himself just before he started talking about the other island excursions that he had experienced in his life. Memories that, as someone who was pretending to be an amnesiac person right now, he surely shouldn't have. 

Mentally slapping himself, Copter nervously chuckled. "Umm, I mean it's the best view based on what I can remember. Which, of course, isn't much."

After drawing in a sharp breath, Copter shifted his uneasy eyes to Kimmon, who was just wordlessly staring at him. Copter felt beads of sweat slowly trickling down his back when the silence between them seemed to drag on forever. 

_Why isn't he saying anything? Did he notice that something was off?! Shit, did he catch on to my lie?!?!_

With an unreadable expression on his face, Kimmon finally parted his lips. "I just realized that, as of this moment, to you, this would feel like your first trip. As if this is your first romantic date. Right?"

"I guess so?" Copter hesitantly confirmed, not yet sure what Kimmon was getting at. 

Kimmon promptly broke out into a determined smile. "Then I need to make sure that this entire day is nothing less than perfect for you."

Swallowing back a relieved sigh, Copter managed to smile back. His heart ached a little, given how he still didn't have the courage to tell Kimmon any of his honest truth. If Kimmon only knew that he really didn't have to do anything in order to make this day perfect for him. Just the fact that he was right here, right by his side, was way more than enough.

"Which means that I can't have you end up with a sunburn," Kimmon continued to say, ripping Copter away from his thoughts.

"Huh?"

Grinning at Copter's puzzled expression, Kimmon subsequently rummaged in his canvas shoulder bag and dug out a small container. 

"Did you forget to apply sunblock lotion around your neck?" Kimmon asked. "It looks red."

"I think I put some on this morning," Copter pondered.

Copter scrunched up his face as he tried to remember if he did. Too occupied with perfecting his looks this morning, it was highly likely that he had forgotten to apply sunblock lotion on each and every part of his body. 

"You think?"

After letting out an amused chuckle, Kimmon squirted some of the lotion on the palm of his hand and stepped closer towards Copter. Before Copter could figure out what was happening, he then began to directly rub the lotion all around Copter's neck and collarbone with his hands.

Copter completely froze, feeling every inch of his skin prickling at the sudden contact.

_OH. MY. GOD._

"Your ears look red too," Kimmon noted as he poured a little more lotion onto his hand.

Copter's eyes grew impossibly wider as he watched Kimmon reach out towards him in order to touch one of the most sensitive parts of his body. Panic flooding over him, Copter unconsciously held his breath. Although he wanted to say something to stop Kimmon, he couldn't freaking remember how to speak words at the moment.

_Shit, please, no, not there!_ _I don't want to die yet!!!_

When Kimmon's fingers ultimately caressed the tip of his ears, Copter thought that he was literally going to combust on the spot. 

Unaware of Copter's current meltdown, Kimmon finished applying the lotion on Copter's ears before finally settling his hands on Copter's shoulders. After slightly leaning down to match Copter's eye level, Kimmon gave him a satisfied smile. 

"There you go," Kimmon said. "It's already hot to the touch though. We should get some aloe gel for you when we head back."

Feeling himself burning uncontrollably from head to toe, Copter weakly nodded in agreement. He was pretty sure that the high temperature radiating from his skin wasn't just from sunburn, but Kimmon didn't have to know that. 

***

_Date: January 18, 2019_

***

Upon hearing the shrill ringing of the phone situated next to his bed, Copter reluctantly raised his heavy eyelids. He loudly groaned in pain when he felt as if his pounding head was going to crack open at any moment. Although he had more than his fair share of hangovers over the course of his life, this one definitely proved to be one of his absolute worst. 

Unable and unwilling to get up from the bed, Copter remained lying down and blindly made grabs at the phone in order to silence its endless ringing. After a few attempts, he finally succeeded in clutching the phone and pressing it against his ear. 

"Hello?" Copter croaked out through dry lips and throat.

"Hey Copter." 

At the all-too-familiar voice, Copter's eyes shot open. "P'Kim?"

"Yes, it's me," Kimmon confirmed with a soft chuckle. "Sorry, did I wake you up?"

Feeling all traces of sleepiness leaving his body, Copter bolted up into a sitting position at once. "No, I was awake!"

"Oh, good. Well, I was planning to stop by your room for a brief second if that's okay with you?"

"Uhh, yes, of course!"

"Okay, I'll be there shortly." 

"Okay."

After concluding their short conversation, Copter slowly put the phone back in its place. Stuck in a momentary daze, he continued to sit on the bed for a few more seconds while he forced his jumbled brain to catch up to his reality.

_So, first of all, why the hell did I wake up with the mother of all hangovers?!_

Copter started to jog his memory in order to recall what had happened last night. He remembered having dinner with Kimmon, which was the final part of the recreational package that he was helping to review per Kimmon's request. His eyes widened as realization dawned on him. 

_Yes, the date!_

All throughout yesterday, Copter had enjoyed a perfect date with Kimmon. It had started off with a private yacht trip to a nearby island, which also included a fun session of snorkeling under the transparent waters. Then, in the late afternoon, they had returned back to the city and spent their time visiting the local festive markets as well as watching cultural performances. Lastly, their date had ended with a fancy five-course dinner that was romantically set up right next to the ocean. 

Indeed, each and every part of yesterday's date with Kimmon had proceeded along so perfectly. That is, until Copter had to fuck it all up by allowing alcohol into his system. 

Copter paled as little bits and pieces began to come back to him. 

He hadn't been thinking straight at the time (which was, to his defense, his basic state of being whenever he was around Kimmon), so it had seemed like an okay idea to have a couple glasses of wine with his dinner. Honestly, he really had no clue that the delectable red wine, which was Kimmon's friendly recommendation to pair with his steak meal, would end up getting him drunk out of his mind. 

Once the alcohol had hit him hard, Copter had behaved like how he normally did whenever he got drunk. Essentially, he had kept clinging on to Kimmon as if he were a needy koala and confessed his undying love for Kimmon while sobbing hysterically, until, finally, he completely blacked out and lost all consciousness. 

Copter curled up into a ball and buried his reddened face into his knees, taking a moment to wallow in a bottomless pit of despair and self-hatred. 

_Fuck my life._

Unfortunately for him, though, he didn't have much time right now to brood over his massive stupidity because Kimmon was about to come meet him in a few minutes. Now thinking about it, it was very surprising because it meant that Kimmon apparently wasn't too disgusted by his drunk behavior to the point of cutting off all ties with him. 

Deciding to postpone his session of self-pity to later, Copter dashed to the bathroom in order to quickly fix himself up. Within mere seconds, he frantically scrubbed his face clean, brushed his teeth and combed his tangled bed hair. Just when he was about to change out of his clothes, though, he heard the doorbell ring. Not wanting to keep Kimmon waiting for long, Copter slipped on the first hoodie that he saw in his closet and ran over to the door. 

"Good morning," Kimmon greeted him as soon as he opened the door. 

Copter felt his heart galloping yet again as he stared at Kimmon, who was looking as handsome as ever in a tailored dark grey suit that emphasized his lean physique. Yet, at the same time, shame crossed his mind when he also became acutely aware of his own messy state right now, which absolutely paled in comparison to the perfection in front of him. 

"Good morning," Copter returned while attempting to hide his embarrassment.

With a bright smile, Kimmon handed over the bag of food items that he was holding in his hand. "Thought you might need something to help with your hangover. I wasn't sure what would work best for you, so I got a little bit of everything."

"Thank you," Copter said as he accepted the bag. Fidgeting a little, he hesitantly spoke his next words. "And, P'Kim, I'm really sorry about last night."

Kimmon quirked his eyebrows. "Do you remember everything?"

"Just enough to know that I was an annoying pain-in-the-ass," Copter mumbled after casting his ashamed gaze down to his feet. 

He glanced back up at Kimmon in surprise when he heard him chuckle. 

"I don't agree with those words," Kimmon countered. "I'd say that you were just...dangerous."

"Dangerous?" 

Copter gasped. He recalled all the stories relating to his drunk behavior that Bas and Tee had grumpily relayed to him in the past, including that one time when his drunken self supposedly wrestled with Bas and almost broke his poor friend's arm. 

_Shit, don't tell me that I attacked P'Kim last night like some deranged fighter!_

"P'Kim, did I...did I attack you last night?!"

Kimmon blinked. "What?"

"I'm so sorry if I did!" Copter yelped, panic seeping out of his voice. "I really didn't mean to punch you or kick you or hurt you in any way, I swear!!!"

A moment of silence dropped over them, which lasted until Kimmon suddenly burst out into laughter. Not knowing what to think or how to respond, Copter shot Kimmon a bewildered look. After laughing for a little bit longer, Kimmon finally opened his mouth. 

"No, you didn't hurt me last night, so there's no need for you to apologize," Kimmon explained. "But, now that we know that drinking is not one of your fortes, it might be a good idea for you to stay away from alcohol." 

"I won't drink ever again, I promise!" Copter immediately declared. 

"I guess we'll have to see about that," Kimmon murmured with an amused smile. "In the meantime, you should get some more rest today, okay?"

"Okay," Copter agreed. "Thank you again, P'Kim."

After waving goodbye to a smiling Kimmon and closing the door, Copter heaved out a dramatic sigh and collapsed himself down on the floor. He then proceeded to bang his head on the wall again and again until he realized that the physical pain wasn't doing much to lessen his ever-growing humiliation. 

Seriously, if he ever even thought about drinking another drop of alcohol again, he was going to end himself with his own two hands.

***


	8. Chapter 8

**Part A - Chapter 8**

***

_Date: January 21, 2019_

***

After intensely staring at his reflection in the mirror for a few more seconds, Copter finally gave out an impressed smile. He deemed himself perfect for this evening's occasion, looking as chic as ever in the slim-fitting burgundy suit that he was wearing. Indeed, much to his satisfaction, the past several hours of meticulously styling his looks had definitely been worth every second. 

Upon hearing the doorbell, Copter took one final glance at himself before speeding off to open the door. He broke out into a cheerful grin when he saw the person standing in front of him. 

"Hey, Khun Tao!"

Tao promptly returned a gentle smile. "Good evening, Khun Copter. Are you ready to go?"

Nodding his head, Copter swiftly stood beside Tao, and the two of them began to walk their way over to the elevator. 

Copter furtively glimpsed at Tao's present appearance, taking a short moment to marvel at how handsome Tao looked. Of course, he had known that Tao was very good-looking (well, it was literally impossible not to notice), but Tao proved to be even more handsome tonight in his classic charcoal grey tuxedo. 

"Someone's especially charming today," Copter eventually mentioned, a hint of playfulness evident in his voice.

Tao tilted his head sideways. "Are you talking about yourself?" 

They stared at each other for a lasting second before chuckling out loud at the same time. Copter couldn't stop grinning, pleased and relieved at the fact that he was now on such good terms with Tao. 

"Thank you for coming to get me," Copter said. "I hope it wasn't too much trouble for you."

"Not at all," Tao dismissed in an instant. "Kimmon also asked me to relay his apologies for not coming himself." 

"It's fine, I'm sure he's busy," Copter acknowledged. He momentarily paused before asking his next question. "Khun Tao, but is it really okay for me to attend this event?"

His eyes softened, Tao gave him a reassuring nod. "Of course. It's meant to be a casual after-party. Plus, Kimmon's the host, so he's free to invite whoever he wants."

Copter nodded back with a matching smile, despite the doubt lurking in his mind. He was pretty certain that an event with a black tie dress code wouldn't be characterized as casual in any way, but he didn't voice out his opinion. 

Sharing a comfortable silence, they rode the elevator up to the seventh floor and made their way down the corridor to the resort's ballroom. Yet, when he spotted the security bodyguards who were stationed right in front of the venue, Copter automatically froze. Because, seriously, bodyguards?! 

_What kind of party is this?!_

As soon as they recognized Tao, the guards politely expressed their greetings and immediately opened the door to allow them inside. Trying not to look so daunted, Copter wore his best poker face as he followed Tao into the ballroom. His neutral expression almost fell apart, though, when his widened eyes took in his lavish surroundings. 

Close to fifty people were dispersed across the massive space and conversing among themselves in smaller groups, each and every one of them clothed in fancy tuxedos or dresses. A number of professional waiters and waitresses circled the room, serving silver plates laden with light hors d'oeuvres and alcoholic drinks. Along with the ivory and champagne gold decor, the slightly dimmed lighting added to the overall elegant ambiance, which was accentuated by the trio of musicians who were performing classical music on the center stage. 

Copter blinked several times, taken aback by a mix of awe and uneasiness. 

_Yep, definitely not a "casual" after-party._

Tao's voice ripped Copter away from his observations. 

"Khun Copter," Tao started to say. "Would you like to..."

Yet, Tao's question was abruptly cut off when a middle-aged man suddenly approached them. After glancing at Copter with a curious look, the man subsequently fixed his eager gaze on Tao, who greeted him with a polite smile. 

"Apologies for interrupting you, Khun Tao. But if you have a moment, our chairman would like to have a few words with you about the new project in China."

Shifting his eyes to Copter, Tao appeared to hesitate. Quickly reading the situation at hand, Copter grinned at him. 

"I'll go get myself a drink at the bar," Copter offered.

"I'll come join you as soon as possible," Tao murmured, looking very apologetic.

Shooting Tao an understanding smile, Copter nodded and started to head over to the bar that was set up in the back of the room. Confusion gradually overtook him, though, when he realized that many of the guests seemed to be outright staring at him.

_Why are they all looking at me? Am I walking funny or something?!_

Feeling more and more self-conscious, Copter briskly walked past the crowds of people while attempting to erase any signs of awkwardness on his face. When he finally arrived at the bar, he quietly settled himself down in a corner seat that was the farthest away from everyone else. 

The friendly-looking bartender immediately welcomed him. "What would you like to drink, sir?"

Recalling his promise to never drink another drop of alcohol ever again, Copter worked his brain to think of the next best alternative. "Could you please get me a club soda with lime?" he ended up ordering.

"Of course."

After thanking the bartender, Copter let out a silent sigh. He could still feel the prying eyes of the people surrounding him, but he couldn't really figure out exactly why he was garnering so much unwanted attention. Plus, the overly grandiose atmosphere of the entire event proved to work against easing his discomfort. 

Sensing that he was out of his element here, Copter briefly considered just calling it quits and heading back to his suite. Yet, he knew that he couldn't, or at least not without seeing the one person who he yearned to see all day today. 

Daring to take a peek around, Copter lit up when his gaze ultimately fell upon Kimmon, who was standing from a distance and appeared to be engaged in a serious conversation with the people next to him. 

_And there's my reason for all of this!!!_

Any regrets that he had developed for coming to this after-party dissipated as soon as he beheld Kimmon. His P'Kim, who just had to look as irresistible as ever in an eye-catching dark navy suit that enhanced his sophisticated charm. 

Rather unfortunately for him, though, his view of perfection was unexpectedly blocked by a young woman who emerged right in front of him. Inwardly jumping, Copter jerked his bewildered eyes up to the woman's smiling face. 

"Mind if I take this seat?" she asked while gesturing to the stool next to him.

Swallowing back his annoyance, Copter forced out an amiable smile. He did mind. _A whole fucking lot._ But he knew that he shouldn't shove the woman out of his line of vision and continue to gape at Kimmon like some creepy stalker. 

"Not at all."

With a broadening grin, the woman promptly sat down and proceeded to order a gin and tonic for herself. In the midst of his irritation, Copter couldn't help but notice that the woman was quite notably pretty. The tight crimson gown that she was wearing also highlighted all the flattering curves of her figure, which added a touch of sexiness to her overall gorgeous appearance.

Still smiling, the woman settled her twinkling gaze on Copter. "Hello, I'm Melissa."

"Hello, Khun Melissa. I'm Copter," Copter returned. 

"Nice to meet you, Khun Copter," Melissa hummed before slightly moving closer towards him. "You know, I haven't seen you before in any of our earlier gatherings. May I ask who invited you here?"

Copter faltered for a brief moment. Although Melissa was showing an innocent expression, he strangely sensed an ulterior motive behind her question, a motive that wasn't necessarily benevolent in any way. Careful not to reveal any of his growing wariness, Copter gave out an unsuspecting smile.

"Khun Tao invited me," Copter partially lied, intentionally not mentioning Kimmon. 

"Tao Sattaphong?" Melissa asked back, her eyes stretched wide. "The famous secretary of the famous Kimmon Warodom?"

Copter cocked his head to one side. "I wasn't aware that he held such a title."

"I'm surprised that you weren't aware of it," Melissa chuckled. "Of course, Khun Kimmon and Khun Tao are famous. They were already quite legendary from all their success stories in the States. And, ever since they came back to Thailand a few months ago, they've been completely changing up the playing field around here and catching everyone's attention. Pretty much every businessperson here is eager to get a chance to work with them." 

Falling momentarily silent, Copter steadily processed this new information. He had assumed that Kimmon was pretty successful at what he did, but, from Melissa's words, he figured that his wild guesses about Kimmon's business reputation weren't even close to the actual truth.

"Plus, to state the obvious, they're handsome and mysterious," Melissa added, breaking Copter away from his thoughts. 

"Mysterious?" Copter echoed back, his eyebrows raised.

"They're very good about keeping their private lives hidden," Melissa clarified. "Which is an approach that just fuels up all the juicy gossip around them."

At Melissa's statement, Copter felt a light bulb suddenly flash in his head. So that explained why he was attracting so much attention, as well as why Melissa had randomly decided to come chat with him. Like everyone else who kept stealing glances at him, she was probably hoping to fish out some private information about Kimmon and Tao from him. 

"Is that why people have been staring at me? I thought it was because of my good looks," Copter jokingly said. 

"It's both reasons," Melissa answered with a giggle. "Another handsome man has entered the mix. Of course, people are going to be curious."

"And that includes yourself?"

"Guilty as charged."

Not even flinching at Copter's accusation, Melissa gave him a flirtatious wink, her sensuous ruby-colored lips curving upwards in a tantalizing way. 

Copter met her confident gaze, feeling rather impressed by her bold behavior. He had to give it to her. Melissa was very adept at what she was doing, obviously aware of her own attractive looks and using it as a weapon to achieve her goals. 

If Copter were any other man, he would have likely fallen into her trap and given her everything that she wanted. Yet, Melissa didn't know that Copter wasn't just any other man. Instead, Copter was a man who possessed a few tricks of his own that worked to his absolute advantage. 

_Time for a little Copter Panuwat action._

"Then I guess I should follow the same approach and stay as mysterious as possible."

"Why?"

Deepening his signature dimples, Copter intently locked his eyes on Melissa while slowly inching closer towards her. "Because it'll keep you interested in me," he seductively whispered in a lowered voice.

Melissa gaped back at him in silence, looking at a complete loss for what to say or do. Copter's smile grew when he detected the blush that was rapidly spreading across Melissa's dainty features. 

_Success!_

Yet, just when Copter was about to make his next move, he heard a familiar voice call out his name, making him freeze on the spot. 

"Copter."

Pulling back from his current position, Copter quickly shifted his gaze to his side. He saw Kimmon standing a few steps away, staring right back at him with no expression written on his face. Barely remembering that Melissa was right beside him, Copter bit back the squeal that threatened to leave his mouth.

_P'Kim! It's P'Kim!!!_

Before Copter could recall how to properly function again, though, Kimmon suddenly strode towards him. Then, without warning, once Copter was within his reach, Kimmon firmly wrapped his arm around Copter's shoulder and stooped down until his lips were only a couple inches away from Copter's left ear. Upon feeling Kimmon's soft breath on his skin, Copter's heart came to a complete stop. 

"Have you forgotten our promise already?" Kimmon whispered.

"What?"

"I thought you weren't going to drink any more alcohol."

Coming back to his senses, Copter widened his eyes. "No, I'm not!" he frantically yelled before immediately lowering his volume. "It's just club soda, I swear!"

At Copter's panicky response, Kimmon let out an amused chuckle. With his arm still draped around Copter's shoulder, Kimmon subsequently turned his glistening eyes to Melissa, who was shamelessly gawking at the two of them. 

"Ma'am. Sorry to break into your conversation, but I'd like to borrow this charming gentleman for a while if you don't mind," Kimmon said, an alluring smile dancing on his lips. 

"No, I don't mind," Melissa mumbled, her cheeks visibly flushed.

As soon as he caught the obvious hints of infatuation for Kimmon on Melissa's face, Copter narrowed his eyes in displeasure. Of course, he understood that anyone in her position would have reacted in the same manner (because, hello, it was freaking Kimmon-Warodom-with-a-smile), but that didn't mean he liked it. 

"Khun Melissa," Copter murmured while extending his hand out to her. "It was really nice meeting you."

Snapping her dazed gaze back to Copter, Melissa shyly accepted Copter's handshake. "Me too."

Caressing Melissa's hand ever so gently, Copter purposefully put on his most captivating smile, armed with his dangerous dimples. He felt extremely satisfied when Melissa's look of sheer adoration was redirected back to himself. 

"Copter, let's go."

At Kimmon's words, Copter gave a final parting nod to a flustered-looking Melissa before dropping her hand and taking his place beside Kimmon, who began to move forward once Copter joined him. 

"Where are we going?" Copter asked. 

Kimmon shot him a cryptic smile. "To one of my favorite spots in this resort." 

Nodding, Copter obediently walked alongside Kimmon, matching Kimmon's footsteps one by one. 

Overjoyed excitement swelled in his chest at the fact that he was finally with Kimmon. Yet, still sensing all the nosy stares that were concentrated on them, he tried his very best to prevent his stupid smile from creeping onto his face. On top of not wanting to scare Kimmon off, he also didn't want to instigate any rumors that would add on to the gossip around Kimmon and cause him any inconvenience. 

Kimmon's random question broke through their silence. "Did I interrupt something?"

Confused, Copter whipped his head towards Kimmon. "Interrupt what?"

"Interrupt something between you and that lady?" 

"What?! No, of course not!"

"But you seem disappointed," Kimmon pointed out, his obsidian eyes attentively studying Copter's expression. "I can take you back to her if you wanted to continue your conversation."

"No, I'm not disappointed! Why would I be when I have you?!" Copter loudly yelped out without thinking.

Kimmon's startled gaze met his while their surroundings turned dead quiet. 

_Oh shit._

Copter mentally cursed himself, panic escalating within him when the stunned silence between them dragged on. He was quite positive that his plan to keep a low profile for Kimmon's sake failed just now, judging by the immediate buzz of scandalized chatter that started around them. But, most importantly, he might have just turned Kimmon off, and Copter was not yet ready to face that particular scenario. 

With an awkward chuckle, Copter tried again, this time in a hushed whisper only audible to Kimmon. "Umm...I mean, I'd rather spend my time with you!"

_What the fuck am I saying?!_

Wishing that he could melt into a puddle, Copter clenched his eyes shut. Yet, they shot open again from utter shock when he heard Kimmon suddenly burst out into laughter. Baffled, Copter blankly stared at Kimmon for a minute before stiffly laughing along with Kimmon. He wasn't sure why Kimmon was laughing, but he'd gladly take this reaction over anything that involved Kimmon leaving his side. 

"Then why do you look so troubled?" Kimmon asked after a short while, the corners of his bright eyes still crinkled.

_Troubled?_

Copter's perplexed brain churned to make sense of the current situation. Did Kimmon misinterpret his previous attempts to lay low and act like a normal person? Which, based on what ended up happening, miserably failed? 

"I just didn't want to take up your time when you seemed busy," Copter eventually provided, not wanting to disclose his other reasons. 

"I'm not going to leave you by yourself when I'm the one who invited you here," Kimmon said in a soft voice. He then closely leaned in towards Copter and whispered his next words as if telling a secret. "Plus, I'd rather spend my time with you too."

Their eyes locked onto each other, causing Copter's abused heart to explode once again. Feeling endangered, Copter wondered whether he would be able to make it to the end of the day in one functioning piece. 

***

"So?" Kimmon probed. "It's worth coming out here, right?"

"Definitely," Copter agreed in a flash, his awed gaze hooked onto the divine sight ahead of him. 

Described earlier as one of his favorite spots at the resort, Kimmon's final destination turned out to be a private outdoor balcony that was accessible only from the ballroom. It boasted a breathtaking view overlooking the ocean, which wondrously shimmered under the luminescent light of the moon and stars above them. 

A content smile spread across Copter's face as he felt the cool night breeze pleasantly tickling his skin. Indeed, it was definitely worth coming out here. Very fortunately for him, they were the only people using the balcony right now, giving them their much-needed peace and quiet away from the other guests. So he was currently alone with Kimmon, enjoying one of the most beautiful night views that he had ever seen in his life, just as if they were continuing their romantic date from a few days ago. 

What more could he possibly ask for? 

That thought changed when Copter discovered something flashing in the night sky. "It's a shooting star, P'Kim! We have to make a wish!"

Kimmon laughed, looking quite amused by Copter's excitement. "I think I'm too old to believe in that."

"This has nothing to do with age," Copter countered. "You're never too old to make a wish!"

With that exclamation, Copter immediately closed his eyes and pressed his palms together. He knew that he was acting like a silly child, but he was pretty desperate enough to do anything that he could in order to increase his miraculous luck. 

_I wish that I'll be able to stay by P'Kim's side, even after he finds out that I got my memories back. I'm sorry if I'm asking for too much, but please let me stay by his side. Please, please, please!_

"What did you wish for?" Kimmon asked after a few long seconds. "Getting your memories back?"

Flinching, Copter turned his head to meet Kimmon's curious eyes and let out a nervous giggle. "How did you know? Did you make a wish as well?"

"I did."

"What did you wish for?"

Kimmon's expression turned playful. "It's a secret."

"I should have kept mine a secret too," Copter mumbled, feeling regretful.

_Because that would have been one less lie to P'Kim._

Unaware of the guilt barreling down on Copter, Kimmon just softly chuckled and gently ruffled Copter's hair. 

***


	9. Chapter 9

**Part A - Chapter 9**

***

_Date: January 23, 2019_

***

Humming loudly to himself, Copter merrily skipped out of the elevator as soon as its doors slid open. He didn't give a damn about all the weird looks that other people were throwing at him because he was in an exceptionally good mood. 

His wonderful mood came from several different factors. First off, he had waken up this morning on the right side of the bed, feeling much more refreshed and animated than he usually did. On top of that, the weather proved to be impeccable with clear blue skies and vibrant sunshine, which made his decision to eat breakfast outside on the terrace one of the best in his life. Finally, more than anything, Copter was currently on his way to meet Kimmon, who had called him earlier today and asked him out to lunch. 

_Seriously, what more could there be to life's happiness?!_

His excessively high spirits were smashed to smithereens, though, when his eyes caught the side profile of a particular person, someone who seemed to be shooting questions at the friendly-looking hotel staff behind the lobby counter. Someone who looked all too familiar, but definitely shouldn't be someone who he should be seeing right now. 

Copter froze as realization loomed over him.

_Is that P'Tee?!_

Seized by a surge of panic, Copter immediately whipped around and sprinted back to the elevator. While attempting to hide his face from Tee's line of vision, he frantically pressed the up arrow button several times, hoping that the elevator would arrive as soon as freaking possible. He had no idea what Tee was doing here, but he knew that he couldn't let his cousin discover him now. 

_Fuck, fuck, fuck!!!_

He should have known that his good luck was bound to have a limit, one that he was going to reach very soon if he didn't get his shit together right fucking now.

The second that he heard the elevator ding open, Copter quickly rushed inside. Or tried to, but he ended up crashing into a person who was stepping out at the same time. Anxiously chewing on his lower lip, Copter looked up to meet the person's eyes and apologize for his rude behavior, but his heart dropped when he saw who was in front of him. 

Eyes stretched wide, Kimmon was staring right back at him, appearing surprised. "Copter?"

Once he gathered enough working brain cells, Copter released a nervous chuckle. "P'Kim! Sorry for running into you." 

"That's okay," Kimmon said, returning a gentle smile. "But where are you going? I thought we were meeting in the lobby right now." 

"Oh I just...umm," Copter stammered, attempting to think of an appropriate excuse. 

His insides twisted up in fear. The more he thought about his present situation, the more he recognized its potentially disastrous consequences. If Tee caught him here now, then all of his stupid plans were going to fall apart. Not only would his precious time with Kimmon likely end, but, at the very worst, Kimmon might find out that he'd been lying to him about his amnesiac condition all this time. 

He really couldn't let that happen. 

As much as he hated to say his next words, Copter knew that this was his best choice of action at the moment. 

"I'm sorry, P'Kim, but can we push off getting lunch to next time?"

"Of course, but is something wrong?" Kimmon asked, worry now taking over his features. "You look pale."

"I'm not feeling very well," Copter lied, unable to come up with anything else.

Kimmon's frown deepened. "How so? Is it severe? Should I take you to the hospital?"

"Umm...no, I..."

Copter's panicked eyes flickered to the lobby. He gasped when Tee happened to turn around at the same time, right about to face the direction where he was standing. On reflex, Copter hurriedly grabbed the closest thing to him and used it to shield himself from Tee's field of view. 

A few long seconds crawled by, during which Copter felt his heart wildly galloping in fear.

_P'Tee didn't see me, right? Fuck, what if he did? What if he's walking over here right now?! Should I take a quick peek to check if he's still there?! But what do I do if he still is?! OH MY GOD WHAT THE FUCK SHOULD I DO?!?!?!_

"Copter?!"

Kimmon's bewildered voice ripped him away from his frightened thoughts. Gradually, Copter processed his reality, in which he was currently clutching onto someone as if his life depended on it, with his face entirely crushed into that someone's chest. 

He soon realized that the someone was none other than Kimmon. 

_...HOLY SHIT!_

"Sorry, P'!" Copter exclaimed while pouncing back. 

He furtively glanced behind Kimmon to check if Tee was still there. To his partial relief, Tee was completely gone from his sight. Copter couldn't relish that comforting fact, though, because he now had another pressing problem, one where Kimmon probably thought that he was a crazy pervert or something similar to that effect. 

Turning his full attention back to Kimmon, Copter sputtered out the first excuse that popped up in his head. "I was....uh...feeling dizzy!" 

"Dizzy?" Kimmon echoed back, still looking stunned.

_What the hell was that?!_

Copter mentally smacked himself for coming up with the dumbest excuse ever. Yet, he couldn't really think of anything else that would get him out of his tight spot right now, so he decided to just go with it. 

Mustering up all his (nonexistent) acting skills, Copter let out a frail whimper. "Yeah, and I'm still dizzy. Really dizzy, like...like...I think I might faint any minute now," he muttered while bringing a noticeably shaking hand up to his forehead. "So...umm...I'll just go back to my room now and get some rest."

He definitely overplayed the drama to a cringe-worthy extent, but now was not the time to violently kick himself for it. 

Hoping that he was convincing enough to Kimmon, Copter wobbled away to the elevator doors, as fast as he thought was still within bounds for a near-fainting person. He didn't get very far, though, due to a highly responsive Kimmon, who quickly came to his side. 

"Let me help you back to your room," Kimmon offered, his arm snaking around Copter's waist to support him.

"It's okay. I can make it back by myself," Copter rejected in a flash, trying to inch away. 

Although he didn't really want to detach himself from Kimmon, Copter knew that it would be unwise to prolong his time with Kimmon. As just proven, acting clearly wasn't one of his strong points, and he didn't want to risk drawing any more suspicion to himself. 

"No, I'm too worried to let you go by yourself," Kimmon said. "And actually..." 

All of a sudden, Copter felt himself being lifted completely up from the ground, with Kimmon's strong arms now wrapped around his back and under his legs. His frenzied mind went blank. 

_OH. MY. GOD._

Kimmon dropped his gaze to meet Copter's, his midnight black eyes unwavering. "There. That's better." 

"P'Kim...you don't have to...I'm not...this is," Copter stuttered uncontrollably, still unable to believe that Kimmon was carrying him in his arms. 

"Relax," Kimmon shushed him in a gentle voice, a reassuring smile hanging on his lips. "I'll take you back to your room safely." 

_Well damn._

Copter wasn't going to argue with Kimmon on this point any longer, not when all he could think of was how he wouldn't mind dying in Kimmon's arms right now. Shyly draping his arms around Kimmon, he tried to relax as much as his racing heart would let him. 

At least he didn't have to continue relying on his terrible acting skills, given that he actually felt like he was going to faint any second now. 

*** 

Feeling suffocated by the unending silence, Copter chanced a glimpse at Tee. Upon meeting Tee's glare that promised a sudden and brutal death, he winced and darted his eyes back to the wall. 

Right after he survived being carried by Kimmon to his room, Copter finally had mustered up the courage to call his cousin. As soon as Tee found out that Copter was on the other end of the line, he had hurled out a stream of endless cursing that basically summed up to ' _Why the fuck did you not answer your phone?! Do you know how worried sick I was?!?! I told you to go on a vacation, not to disappear off the freaking grid!!!!!!_ '. 

It turned out that, concerned because he couldn't get in contact with Copter for the past several days, Tee had flown all the way to Phuket to find out his whereabouts, even taking time off his work which Tee never did unless absolutely necessary. Naturally, Copter felt horrible for causing so much distress in Tee's life and therefore had willingly taken on all of Tee's wrath. 

He just wasn't expecting it to last this freaking long. 

"I'm sorry, P'Tee," Copter tried one more time, equipped with his sorry puppy eyes. 

Tee didn't retract his scowl one bit. "You're fucking crazy," he spat out. 

"I know," Copter mumbled.

A few more minutes of tense silence passed by them until Tee finally released an exasperated sigh. Copter perked up in an instant, recognizing it as a signal from Tee that the worst of his fury was over. 

"So did you succeed?" Tee asked after a while, sounding somewhat defeated.

"Succeed in what?" Copter returned, confused as to what Tee was getting at. When the implications of Tee's knowing look sunk in, he felt heat rapidly rush up to his cheeks. "P'Tee! Seriously?! I'm not just trying to get inside his pants, okay?!"

Tee's expression turned to one of blatant disbelief. 

"I'm not!" Copter yelped, but he then paused for a brief second to reconsider. "Well, I'm not saying that I don't want to, but that's not what this is all about. It's much more than that!"

"Then what?" Tee shot back, frustration evident in his voice. "Are you saying that you're actually serious about him?" 

When Copter didn't deny his words, Tee threw him an incredulous look. Copter quickly followed up, intent on clarifying his position to Tee.

"P'Tee, I know what you're thinking."

"What am I thinking?"

"You think that I'm still caught up in some stupid first love fantasy. But I'm not. Even when I lost my memories and didn't know that it was P'Kim, I was falling for him," Copter said, his voice gaining more conviction as he went on. "My feelings for him are real. They're not some carryover from my distant past, but something that's part of my present."

Tee proceeded to stare at him, his stern eyes seeming to judge Copter outright.

"Copter, if you're really serious about him, then don't you think you should fess up and tell him the truth?" Tee brought up, his critical gaze still fixed on Copter. "Building a relationship out of lies isn't going to do anything for you." 

"Yeah, I know," Copter said, his voice quiet.

Of course, he knew, and he was very painfully aware that he was acting like a reckless idiot right now. 

"With this setup, he thinks that he's the cause of your amnesia," Tee continued. "So he's probably being nice to you and taking care of you because he feels responsible. He feels sorry and bad for you because you're someone who lost all his memories from an accident that he was involved in."

"I know," Copter repeated once more, his shoulders slumping. "And I know I should tell him the truth, and I will. I just...I'm scared, P'Tee. It's a dumb excuse, but I'm scared that telling him the truth will change what I have with him now. Not that we have much going on, but what if I lose even that?"

"It is a dumb excuse," Tee muttered, although his expression softened. "Come on, Copter. You're miserable right now. I can tell that the guilt of lying to him is eating you all up. So get it all off your chest and tell him the truth." 

"The truth," Copter echoed, still feeling doubtful. 

"Or at least scrap the whole amnesia thing," Tee said in a lighter tone. "Seriously, Cop, amnesia?! I can't believe you were trying to reenact some old ass Korean drama from the '90s."

Copter couldn't help but chuckle at that. "I thought those were your favorites."

"They are, but that doesn't mean I want to see them happening in your life," Tee grumbled. "You know, not all of them have happy endings." 

Smiling at the sweet meaning behind Tee's words, Copter reached out towards Tee for a hug. "I'm sorry for worrying you," he whispered while snuggling into Tee, who easily gave in. 

"You really need to stop being a pain in my ass," Tee grumpily said, but his fingers affectionately combed through Copter's hair. 

***

_The truth._

Feeling overwhelmingly troubled, Copter settled his gaze on the vast expanse of water ahead of him. He took a moment to enjoy the light breeze bringing the faint smell of the ocean to his nose. Given the rather late hour, the resort's private beach was fairly empty, which provided a nice quiet environment for Copter to brood over his current problem. 

_Telling P'Kim the truth._

Copter inwardly groaned, realizing just how disastrous of a mess he got himself into. 

He really didn't know how he would even start that conversation with Kimmon. Would he confess everything, including their past connection from high school? Or should he just do away with the amnesia for now and reveal to Kimmon that he got back all his memories? If so, what would be the most natural way to act that situation out without risking Kimmon seeing right through his shitty acting skills? 

His musings were interrupted when he felt something suddenly drop over his shoulders. Startled, Copter snapped his gaze up and saw Kimmon, who finished draping his coat on Copter before turning his eyes to him. 

"P'Kim? What are you doing here?" Copter asked, barely recovering from his shock.

With a smile, Kimmon sat himself down on the sand, right next to Copter. "I was looking for you," he said. "I wanted to make sure that you were feeling better."

"I am. Thank you for checking on me," Copter said while fiddling with the hems of Kimmon's coat.

Struggling with his inner conflict, Copter cast his eyes down, unable to meet Kimmon's soft gaze any longer. He recognized that this might be a good opportunity for him to confess the truth to Kimmon, but he wasn't ready. As a matter of fact, he wasn't sure if he'll ever be ready, and Kimmon's sweet actions weren't making it any easier for him. 

"Is something on your mind?" Kimmon asked, breaking the short silence that fell between them. "You look troubled."

Copter faltered for a bit. "P'Kim, I was just thinking..." he reluctantly started out. "What if I never get back my memories?"

"Then you could stay with me for a lifetime," Kimmon replied without hesitation.

At Kimmon's surprising answer, Copter turned his head to look at Kimmon, who was staring back at him with a beautiful smile gracing his lips. 

"You shouldn't be so nice," Copter said, attempting to ignore his trembling heart. "People can take advantage of you."

"I'm not really nice to everyone," Kimmon admitted. "Just to you."

"Why?" Copter managed to ask back, not sure if he heard right. 

Kimmon tilted his head sideways. "Should I not be?" 

"Like I said, I might turn out to be a good-for-nothing criminal."

"And I said that I'll take my chances." 

"You shouldn't, P'Kim," Copter sincerely warned. "You barely know me." 

"I know enough," Kimmon said in a firm tone before letting out an amused chuckle. "Copter, I'm pretty sure that you're not a criminal. Trust me on this." 

Copter fell silent, his guilt kicking in again. Although he wasn't technically a criminal per se, he felt quite close to being one with the way he'd been lying outright to Kimmon and betraying his trust all this time. 

"P'Kim, you're being nice to me out of pity, right?" Copter asked after a little while, remembering his earlier conversation with Tee. "Because you feel sorry for me?"

Given how difficult this was becoming for him, Copter realized that he really needed all the motivation that he could get in order to brave it out and tell Kimmon the truth. So any indication that Kimmon's feelings about him were nowhere near romantic but were just drenched in pity would be a great reality slap, something that could encourage him to try to change the direction of their relationship.

Yet, what came out of Kimmon's mouth wasn't anything that Copter expected to hear. 

"No, it's not that at all," Kimmon denied in a lowered voice. "Copter, you just make me want to be someone who's nice. Someone who you'll like." 

"P'Kim..." Copter breathed, feeling his poor heart get caught in his throat. 

Kimmon just gave him another blinding smile. "So stop worrying, okay?"

Copter helplessly gazed into the gorgeously twinkling eyes in front of him, wondering how to interpret Kimmon's words just now. Before he could get his jumbled brain to function, though, he suddenly felt Kimmon's hand gently nudging his head towards his shoulder.

"I'll be right here for you, Copter. So you don't have to worry. Everything will be fine," Kimmon sweetly whispered as he wrapped his arm around Copter, pulling him closer.

With his head completely resting on Kimmon's shoulder, Copter ended up closing his eyes, deciding to savor this heart-fluttering moment with Kimmon right now. 

Kimmon told him that he wanted to be someone who he'll like. He wanted Copter to like him. Why? Was that a roundabout way of saying that Kimmon liked him too? Or was Kimmon just giving him a white lie, hiding his pity for Copter behind those sweet words in order to provide him some comfort?

There was just so much ambiguity in all of this, but Copter knew one thing for certain. He knew that, no matter what, he didn't want to lose Kimmon. He wished to be with Kimmon and stay by his side, just like this, for as long as possible.

Hoping that time would stop right then and there, Copter rehearsed in his head the truth that he kept inside, a confession that he would force himself to tell Kimmon. Not now, but very soon. Perhaps even tomorrow. 

_I'm in love with you, P'Kim. Because it's you._ _Because it always just had to be you._

***


	10. Chapter 10

**Part A - Chapter 10**

***

_Date: January 26, 2019_

***

"So you're him."

Ripped away from his brainstorming on how to tackle his _how-do-I-tell-the-truth-to -P'Kim_ crisis, Copter raised his head towards the sudden voice that approached him. He cowered when he locked eyes with a beautiful young woman, who was attacking him with the most intimidating glare that he'd ever encountered.

Wondering if the woman was actually speaking to someone else, Copter scanned the other tables in the lounge around him. "Me?" he timidly asked when he realized that there wasn't anyone else near them.

Without responding, the woman promptly sat herself down in the chair ahead of him. She crossed her arms while looking Copter over as if she was sizing him up.

Feeling rather intimidated, Copter took another close look at the woman, but she still didn't appear at all familiar. Her intensifying death glare, though, was making him have doubts.

"Umm...I'm sorry but maybe you have the wrong person?" Copter suggested, trying to break the tense silence between them.

"You're Copter," the woman simply said, shooting down Copter's best guess about the bizarre situation.

"Yes, my name is Copter, but I'm not sure who you are," Copter said in a careful tone, not wanting to piss her off even more.

At Copter's comeback, the woman fell eerily silent again, but she kept her calculating gaze fixed on him. Unable to participate in their intense staring contest any longer, Copter avoided her piercing dark amber eyes. 

_God, she was scary._

Also, as he noted when he first saw her, the woman was noticeably pretty, which served as another reason why Copter was quite confident that he didn't know who she was. He would have definitely remembered someone as gorgeous as her, even if he had just passed by her for a split second on the street.

When Copter gathered enough courage to meet her daunting glare once again, the woman finally parted her lips.

"I'm his fiancée."

"Fiancée?" Copter echoed back in confusion.

"I'm P'Kimmon's fiancée," she clarified.

The words that left her mouth didn't fully register at first.

_P'Kim has a fiancée?_

"What?" Copter faintly mumbled, feeling shock numbing him all over. "P'Kim didn't say that he had a fiancée," he added in a weak whisper, unconsciously verbalizing all his thoughts.

Having caught all his quiet words, the woman instantly shot him a wary look. "Why would he mention that to you?" she snapped. "He only discloses facts about his private life to people who are very close to him."

At a loss for how to react, Copter just helplessly gaped back at her. Not seeming to give a damn about Copter's ongoing mental breakdown, the woman continued to viciously throw daggers at his heart.

"I heard all about you, Copter. And I'm completely fine with this situation as long as you know your place. As long as you understand that P'Kim is just taking care of you because he feels sorry for you. But that's it. So if you're thinking of overstepping your boundaries and taking advantage of him in any way, I won't hesitate to get rid of you."

The harsh impact of her words knocked all the air from his lungs, making it difficult for him to breathe.

_P'Kim has a fiancée._

_He didn't tell me about his fiancée because there's no reason for him to do so._

_Because I'm just...I'm just a nobody to him._

"Honey?"

Still stuck in a shocked daze, Copter slowly moved his eyes towards a familiar voice that had abruptly entered their conversation just now. He saw Kimmon, who was standing a few steps away from them and was staring at the woman with surprise written all over his face.

"P'Kim!"

Her expression immediately changing from menace to adoration, the woman bolted up from her seat and ran towards Kimmon. Laughing along with her, Kimmon caught her easily in his arms.

"What are you doing here?" Kimmon asked after giving her a warm hug.

"I came to see you of course!" she answered in an excited voice. "Because I missed you so much, P'. Didn't you miss me?"

Kimmon let out a soft chuckle. "Of course I did. I'm so happy to see you."

Looking beyond satisfied by Kimmon's response, the woman leaned in and kissed Kimmon on the cheek. Wearing a widening smile, Kimmon returned the gesture with affection.

Silently, Copter watched the happy reunion unfolding in front of him, feeling very much like an unwelcome intruder. He wished that he could run away right now and spare himself from the worsening pain, but his goddamn body refused to function and remained frozen in place.

After what seemed like a hellish forever, Kimmon finally cast his gaze to him, his bright smile still hanging on his lips. The woman's face hardened a little when she caught Kimmon looking at Copter.

"I was actually just talking to Khun Copter here," she hurriedly intervened, as though she were trying to turn Kimmon's focus back to herself. "I heard about Copter's situation and it sounded so terrible. I was wondering if I could help out in any way."

"You don't have to worry," Kimmon said, returning his eyes back to her.

"But I want to help," she pressed while clinging closer to Kimmon. "Why don't we talk about this over dinner? P'Kim, are you free now?"

"Yeah, I am," Kimmon accepted before shifting his attention to Copter once more. "What about you, Copter? Are you free to join us for dinner?"

_Dinner with P'Kim and his fiancée?_

Swallowing back the growing lump in his throat, Copter tried not to appear so heartbroken as he held Kimmon's gaze. Even without the woman's annoyed scowl at him, he really had no intention of accepting Kimmon's invitation. 

"I'm sorry, but I'll have to pass," Copter turned down with a forced smile. "I haven't been feeling that well."

Worry took over Kimmon's features in a second flat. "Are you feeling dizzy again?"

"No, it's just a stomachache," Copter lied, wanting to end their conversation as soon as possible.

Kimmon frowned. "How bad is it?" 

"Not that bad. Probably just ate too much for lunch," Copter mumbled while beginning to collect his items that were spread out on the table.

Seeming to have noticed Copter's efforts to make an exit, Kimmon's fiancée immediately aided him by giving her farewell. "It was nice meeting you, Khun Copter," she said in a friendly tone. "Maybe we can go grab a meal together next time, when you're feeling better."

"That sounds good," Copter said halfheartedly. He stood up from his spot with another smile that he hoped appeared somewhat genuine. "I'm going to head off to my room now. Enjoy your dinner."

With that, Copter whipped around and walked away, barely stopping himself from speeding off like he really wanted to. His footsteps faltered a little, though, when he heard Kimmon's voice calling him from behind.

"Copter, wait..."

"P'Kim, I'm hungry," his fiancée whined, cutting Kimmon's words off. "I didn't eat anything today."

"What? Why?" Kimmon asked, sounding alarmed at her revelation.

That was really his cue to leave.

Not caring about the tears that were starting to roll down his face, Copter resumed his steps at a quickened pace.

***

"You were right, P'." 

Clutching onto Tee as tight as humanly possible, Copter continued to sob his heart out.

"I was stupid. He was just being nice to me out of pity, but that was it. There was nothing between us. There will never be anything between us."

Staying silent, Tee just rubbed comforting circles on Copter's trembling back. From the moment that Copter had rushed into his arms as a bawling mess, Tee hadn't said a word, seeming to understand that Copter needed a moment to let everything out.

"You were right," Copter repeated in between shaky breaths. "I should have moved on when I had the chance. But look at me now. I'm such an idiot."

Done with his long self-hating monologue, Copter buried his face into Tee's shoulder and cried harder. The image of Kimmon sweetly smiling and kissing his beautiful fiancée on the cheek kept replaying in his head nonstop, breaking him apart even more.

It felt like his entire world had come crashing down on him, and it was all his fucking fault.

He should have known that things weren't going to work out between him and Kimmon. Seriously, who the hell did he think he was, believing that he might have a chance to be with Kimmon? When he was just a charity case to Kimmon who only got his undeserved attention through a bunch of lies?

_P'Kim will never love me._

Tee pulled back a little to meet Copter's watery eyes. His brows creased in concern, Tee wiped away Copter's tears with gentle fingers.

"What are you going to do now?" Tee asked, his voice soft.

Copter paused, taking a minute to consider all his options. "I'll tell him the truth and then leave," he eventually decided, thinking that it was probably the right thing to do.

"Don't do that," Tee disagreed with a deepening frown. "At least protect your pride."

"What?"

"Just follow my lead, okay?"

Too exhausted to ponder any further on the issue, Copter nodded his head. Also, at this point, he certainly trusted Tee's instincts over his own, especially given how terrible his life choices had been so far.

Feeling more tears welling up in his eyes, Copter went back to nestling in Tee's arms, hoping that the warmth would provide him some comfort.

***

"So you remember everything now."

Reluctantly, Copter lifted his gaze to face Kimmon, who calmly met his eyes with a blank expression. Feeling a little less afraid with Tee standing right beside him, he gave a quick nod.

"Yeah, I do."

Copter swallowed.

He had finally told the truth to Kimmon, but instead of feeling relieved like he thought he would, he felt empty. Maybe it was because the story that he presented to Kimmon was still tainted with lies and omissions. Maybe it was because he knew that this would likely be the last time that he would ever see Kimmon.

His face still void of emotion, Kimmon kept staring at him. "Was I right?" he asked after a brief silence.

"What?"

A playful smile crept across Kimmon's face. "You aren't a criminal?"

Copter wanted to smile back and play along, but his guilty conscience wouldn't let him. He felt like a criminal, being a liar to Kimmon right up to the very end. 

Biting his lips, Copter darted his eyes away, scared that he would break apart in front of Kimmon. He desperately tightened his grip on Tee's hand in an attempt to send a distress signal. To his relief, Tee squeezed back, seeming to have gotten his message.

"No, he's not," Tee quickly jumped in. "Copter's actually a pretty popular writer. His trip to Phuket was supposed to help him get some inspiration for his next story, but I wouldn't have let him go alone if I knew that he'd get himself into an accident. Thank you again, Khun Kimmon, for taking such good care of my boyfriend."

Seriously, if he hadn't been so distressed out of his mind, Copter would have hysterically laughed at how ridiculous Tee's plan was and would have shot it down. Lying to Kimmon that he got back all his memories earlier today upon seeing his "boyfriend", who Tee would pretend to be? In addition to being dumb, it had seemed impossible to pull off. 

Much to his surprise, though, it looked like they were doing an okay job, judging by Kimmon's quiet reaction.

Daring a quick glance at Kimmon, Copter flinched when he found Kimmon wordlessly staring back at him. 

"It was my pleasure," Kimmon eventually said with a small smile, his eyes not leaving Copter's.

After taking out his wallet, Tee promptly offered Kimmon one of his fancy business cards. "You can contact me for any reimbursements relating to Copter's stay here."

Kimmon moved his gaze to Tee. "That won't be necessary," he declined.

"Please take it. It's the least that I could do to show my gratitude," Tee insisted while literally forcing the card into Kimmon's hand. He then turned his head towards Copter. "We should get going now or else we'll miss our flight back home."

Copter nodded, eager to leave before he ended up doing something stupid in front of Kimmon. Inhaling a sharp breath, he looked at Kimmon again, recognizing that this was his last opportunity to talk to him. 

This was their goodbye.

_P'Kim._

A whirlwind of emotions attacked him all at once as he met Kimmon's stare.

"Thank you again for everything, P'Kim. Please take care," Copter forced out, trying his best to hide his crushing heartbreak.

Kimmon silently gazed back for a few long seconds before letting out a gentle smile. "You too, Copter." 

***


	11. Chapter 11

**Part A - Chapter 11**

***

_Date: February 3, 2019_

***

"I'm busy."

Mumbling halfheartedly into the speakerphone, Copter furiously typed away on his laptop, afraid that he would otherwise lose all the words flying around in his head. After hours and hours of suffering a torturous writer's block, the muses were finally cooperating with him right now, and he couldn't afford to miss the opportunity. 

"Busy?" Tee asked from the other end of the line, his voice filled with blatant disbelief.

"I'm in the middle of writing, P'," Copter snapped, unable to hold in his impatience. "Look, can I call you back later?"

"No, we're talking right fucking now," Tee immediately shot down, his tone stern. "Copter, you haven't picked up your phone for days. I was literally going to barge into your apartment if you didn't answer today."

Copter released a small sigh, feeling regretful for answering Tee's call but also relieved for doing so. It would have been much worse if Tee had actually come to see him in person. He didn't need a mirror to know that he currently looked like a mess, to the point where Tee would have definitely freaked out the moment he saw him. 

Upon realizing that Tee wasn't going to let him just hang up, he wearily slumped backwards into his chair, shifting his full attention to their conversation. Wanting to avoid a face-to-face visit by Tee at all costs, Copter tried his best to reassure him.

"I'm fine, P'Tee. You know how I get when I'm writing."

"You've really been writing?"

"Yeah."

It was sort of the truth. He only neglected to tell Tee about the phase that he went through before he began to write, the several days where he was trapped inside a nonstop cycle of ugly crying, watching marathons of cheesy chick flicks and laughing hysterically at how ridiculous they were, wondering why his love life was such a fucking wreck, and drowning his sorrows in alcohol. 

Yup, he figured it'd be smart not to share those particular details with Tee. 

"Okay," Tee eventually gave in, although he still sounded a little skeptical. "I guess you ended up getting some inspiration?"

"Yeah, I did. And my editor's going to love my new story. It's unlike any of my other ones, just like she wanted."

"Yeah?"

"Mm-hmm," Copter confirmed. "I'm retiring from the romance genre altogether and experimenting with something new."

Although his situation with Kimmon tore him apart completely and he was still trying to figure out how to recover from it, Copter discovered at least one good thing that resulted from the tragedy. He finally realized that he should no longer be writing anything that was related to romance. Indeed, given all his utter failures in his actual love life, it was a miracle that he had made it so far as a writer of romance novels. 

Why the hell did he have to fixate on the stupid topic of romance anyways? Especially when there were so many other things in life that he could write about? Things that proved to be much more important and exciting?! 

_Seriously, fuck romance._

With that great epiphany, Copter decided that his new story would take place in outer space where the characters (all of which were aliens) found themselves caught up in an all-encompassing galactic war. None of them had any time to care about their petty romantic relationships, not when they were too busy invading each other's planets and destroying the entire universe. 

So far, Copter thought that his writing was proceeding along fairly well. He just needed to come up with more creative ways to describe death and destruction, which was like 99.999999999% of the whole plot. 

"Umm...okay, as long as it's working out," Tee said. "What about food and sleep?"

"What about it?" Copter asked, acting dumb on purpose. 

Tee rephrased his question. "Have you been eating properly? Sleeping enough?"

"...Of course."

Feeling a pang of guilt for lying, Copter glanced around his dire surroundings, where countless empty bottles of beer littered every available surface. He briefly considered whether the gallon of ice cream that he pigged out on during his movie marathons counted as eating properly. 

_Probably not._

Once again, he felt immensely relieved that Tee hadn't paid him a surprise visit yet. 

"Copter, when's the last time that you left your apartment?" Tee asked warily, continuing his investigation of Copter's overall well-being. 

"Uhh..." 

Copter momentarily faltered, not inclined to lie to Tee again. Yet, he was quite sure that Tee would react negatively to the fact that he hadn't left his apartment ever since returning back from Phuket. While Copter attempted to formulate a good close-to-the-truth response that would help ease Tee's worries, Tee heaved out a long sigh. 

"You're coming out to get dinner with me today," Tee abruptly announced. 

"What?! No, P'Tee, I'm okay," Copter rejected in an instant.

"I'm going to be the judge of that when I see you tonight."

"I'm really fine, P'. Aren't you busy?"

"I always have time for you."

Although Tee's sweet answer warmed his heart, Copter still wasn't too thrilled by the idea of leaving his apartment. Admittedly, it was kind of silly, but he didn't feel ready yet to step out into the real world and fully accept his reality of a life without Kimmon. 

He wasn't sure if he'd ever be ready. 

"P'Tee. It's okay, really. If you have any free time, you should use it for yourself. Yeah, like why don't you go on a dinner date with P'Tae?" Copter suggested, anxious to switch Tee's focus off of himself. He hoped that mentioning Tee's boyfriend would be distracting enough. "You haven't seen him for a while, right?"

To his disappointment, Tee didn't cave in one bit. "I'll come pick you up at 7 PM."

"P', no! Wait!!!"

The call ended before Copter could even attempt to hurl any more protests at Tee. 

_Damn it._

Sinking his face into his hands, Copter groaned in frustration, knowing that there was absolutely no way for him to get out of meeting Tee tonight. 

***

His bored gaze stubbornly fixed at the ground, Copter shuffled his feet as he stood in front of his apartment building, waiting for Tee to arrive. Feeling beyond exhausted, he silently wished that the evening was already over. 

He had painfully spent the last couple of hours trying to make himself look somewhat presentable, which proved to be a very difficult feat to pull off. The past few days of spiraling out of control had pretty much transformed him into a hideous cross between a skeleton and a zombie, and it took a lot of hard effort to appear human again. 

Copter just hoped that his efforts weren't in vain and that he would successfully pass Tee's assessment. Maybe then, Tee would stop worrying about him, and he could be left alone for another long while. 

A sudden car honk interrupted his thoughts. Half-expecting to see Tee's car, Copter lifted his head towards the noise.

His breath hitched when he laid eyes on what was a few feet ahead of him. 

An unbelievably handsome man was stepping out of a parked BMW sedan and slowly walking right towards him. Someone who looked exactly like the person who had broken him down with almost no chance of recovery. Someone who he had missed so freaking much over the past week or so, but who really had no reason to be here right now. 

"P'Kim?" Copter whispered, not believing his eyes. 

His unreadable gaze locking onto Copter's bewildered one, Kimmon stopped a couple of steps away from him. 

"Hey Copter." 

_Is this a dream?! Or a fucking nightmare?!?!_

Unable to think at all, Copter continued to stare at Kimmon like an idiot. "What are you doing here?" he barely managed to ask after a little while. 

"I came to see you."

"Me?"

His midnight black eyes not leaving Copter for even a second, Kimmon momentarily paused. "I met your cousin earlier today," he said.

"Who?"

"Your cousin, Khun Tee. The person who you initially introduced to me as your boyfriend."

At Kimmon's further explanation, Copter felt his heart sink to the pit of his stomach. 

_P'Kim met P'Tee, and...and he knows. He knows that P'Tee isn't my boyfriend. He knows that P'Tee is my cousin, which isn't what I told him._

_He knows that I fucking lied._

Not having the courage to face Kimmon any longer, Copter dropped his gaze back to his feet. 

"Copter, you don't have anything to say to me?" Kimmon prompted, breaking the heavy silence that had briefly fallen upon them. 

Wishing that he could just melt into the sidewalk and disappear forever, Copter slammed his eyes shut. "I'm sorry," he apologized quietly. 

"For what?"

Copter hesitated for a moment, feeling his insides recoiling from what he was about to say next. 

Although he really just wanted to escape his present situation, he forced himself to stay put because he knew that this was his last opportunity to confess the truth. This was his last chance to finally be honest to P'Kim and tell him everything. 

"For lying to you about P'Tee," Copter said at last, his voice trembling. "And about my whole amnesia thing. I mean, I really did lose my memories from the accident, but I got them all back a few days later. But I lied and continued to pretend that I didn't remember anything."

"Why did you do that?" Kimmon asked. 

"I wanted to spend more time with you," Copter pushed on. "I was scared that as soon as I told you the truth, I wouldn't be able to see you anymore. It's stupid, I know, but I was desperate. I know you don't remember, but we went to the same high school, and...and you were my first love back then. A love who I couldn't forget no matter how hard I tried. So when I met you again after all those years and realized that it was you, found myself falling for you all over again, I just wanted a chance to be with you. Even if it meant that I had to lie."

Another moment of suffocating silence crawled by them. 

Copter kept his gaze on the ground, scared to death that the look on Kimmon's face right now would be overflowing with disgust at him. He jerked his head back up, though, when he heard Kimmon's next words. 

"She's not my fiancée."

"Huh?"

"The woman who told you that she was my fiancée. She's actually my sister. She tends to get a little over-protective of me. When she heard about you, she wanted to make sure that you weren't taking advantage of me. So she lied to you about being my fiancée."

Feeling stupefied by Kimmon's sudden revelation, Copter blinked back in silence.

_P'Kim doesn't have a fiancée?_

"Copter, is that why you left?" Kimmon resumed, not giving Copter any time to fully process everything. "Because you thought that she was my fiancée? And if she had never showed up, would you have continued to lie to me?"

"No!" Copter quickly denied. "I was going to tell you the truth, I swear!"

His face still completely empty of emotion, Kimmon maintained his calm stare on Copter. "Really?"

"Really!" Copter confirmed, desperate to redeem himself. "I'm so sorry for lying, P'Kim. Please forgive me."

"I can't." 

Kimmon's curt rejection knocked the wind out of him, making him forget how to breathe properly. 

_P'Kim can't forgive me._

As the gravity of the situation began to sink in completely, Copter felt the tears welling up in his eyes, threatening to spill out.

Kimmon couldn't forgive him. And, seriously, why the hell would he?! He was stupid to think that he would be able to receive Kimmon's forgiveness. Given all that he had done, Kimmon probably thought that he was some despicable creep who had taken advantage of him and his good intentions. Kimmon probably hated him now and didn't want to have anything to do with him anymore.

Misery swallowing him up whole, Copter bowed his head. He fought against an urge to collapse down to his knees and cry his heart out, not wanting to present a pathetic sight that might put off Kimmon even more. 

He felt his heart stopping, though, when Kimmon's hands suddenly took a hold of his chin and gently lifted it up until their eyes met. 

"Copter, I can't because I should actually be asking for your forgiveness."

"What?"

Kimmon held Copter's confused stare, his features softening. "I'm a liar too," he said as he tenderly brushed his thumbs against Copter's cheeks. "And I would have continued to lie if it meant that I could keep you by my side."

Having trouble understanding what was going on, Copter wordlessly gaped at Kimmon, trying his best to interpret Kimmon's words but failing badly. 

His lips steadily curving into one of his beautiful smiles, Kimmon reached out and pulled Copter into his arms at once. All thoughts flew out of Copter's head as he felt Kimmon's warmth surrounding him. 

"I missed you, Copter," Kimmon whispered, drawing Copter closer to him. "I'm not letting go of you ever again."

***


End file.
